"Paragon Solutions, whose military-grade hacking software was allegedly used to target 90 people, including journalists and members of civil society, in two dozen countries, has terminated its client relationship with Italy, according a person familiar with the matter.

The decision to terminate the contract comes less than one week after WhatsApp announced that Paragon’s spyware had been used to target dozens of people. Like other spyware vendors, Paragon sells its cyberweapon to government clients who are supposed to use it to prevent crime. It remains unclear who the specific government clients were behind the alleged attacks.

The decision to end the Italy contract followed revelations that an Italian investigative journalist and two activists who were critical of Italy’s dealings with Libya were among the people who had had been targeted with the spyware. The work of all three individuals has been critical of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing government.

Responding to the allegations of involvement late on Wednesday, Meloni’s office denied that domestic intelligence services or the government were behind the alleged breaches."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/06/owner-of-spyware-used-in-alleged-whatsapp-breach-ends-contract-with-italy

#CyberSecurity #Spyware #WhatsApp #Paragon #Italy