Summary: A report by The Citizen Lab reveals that several governments, including Australia and Canada, are suspected customers of Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions. Their tool, Graphite, targets sensitive data from messaging apps and has been linked to sophisticated attacks on individuals worldwide, leading to a significant response from both WhatsApp and Apple regarding security measures. This situation underscores the urgent need for accountability in the spyware industry.
Affected: Australian government, Canadian government, Cypriot government, Danish government, Israeli government, Singaporean government
Keypoints :
- Paragon Solutions, founded in 2019 by Ehud Barak, developed Graphite, a spyware tool targeting instant messaging apps.
- Six governments identified as users of this spyware after analysis of server infrastructure linked to it.
- Recent attacks were sophisticated, employing zero-day vulnerabilities and affecting users in multiple countries, prompting responses from WhatsApp and Apple.
Source: https://thehackernews.com/2025/03/six-governments-likely-use-israeli.html