Italy’s government reported on Wednesday that seven mobile phone users in the country were targeted by spyware on WhatsApp, sparking concerns over privacy violations. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office called the situation “particularly serious” and has directed the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) to investigate. The targeted individuals included a journalist and a prominent migrant rescue activist.
Luca Casarini, co-founder of the Mediterranea Saving Humans charity, shared with Reuters the spyware alert he received from WhatsApp on Friday, the same day Meta Platforms accused the surveillance company Paragon Solutions of targeting roughly 90 users across several countries, including activists and journalists.
The Italian cybersecurity agency was informed about the seven confirmed cases, but Meta has withheld the identities of the individuals to protect their privacy. The spyware also impacted users across various other EU nations, including Belgium, Greece, and Spain, among others.
Meta alleged that Paragon Solutions, reportedly based in the U.S., used a sophisticated “zero-click” hack to infiltrate users’ phones and steal data, a method that requires no interaction from the targeted individuals. A cease-and-desist letter was sent to Paragon, but the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Casarini, a frequent target of criticism from anti-migrant media, said the attempt to hack his phone was a violation of democracy. Similarly, Francesco Cancellato, an Italian journalist and recipient of one of the spyware alerts, expressed concern about the intrusion while conducting his own investigation into the incident.
