Another individual reportedly targeted by spyware developed by the Israeli firm Paragon has stepped forward.
Beppe Caccio, who co-founded Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian NGO focused on aiding immigrants, informed TechCrunch that he has been affected by the spyware initiative.
Caccio revealed his targeting after another co-founder of his organization, Luca Casarini, recently announced that he too received a notification from WhatsApp regarding a suspected spyware attack.
On Monday, during a press conference led by Sandro Ruotolo, an Italian MEP, Casarini stated that he had lodged a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office in Palermo, Italy, concerning the alleged breach. He emphasized his desire to uncover the identity of those who targeted him and his organization.
“We have nothing to conceal. Those who spy are the ones hiding something,” remarked Casarini.
Before Caccio, three other individuals had already reported receiving notifications from WhatsApp indicating their inclusion among the approximately 90 individuals targeted by Paragon’s spyware. The other three include Francesco Cancellato, the editor of online news platform Fanpage.it; Libyan activist Husam El Gomati, currently based in Sweden and focusing on immigration matters between Italy and Libya; as well as Casarini himself.
The news surrounding the spyware campaign emerged on January 31, when WhatsApp announced it had disrupted the operation and informed roughly 90 individuals of their targeting. Although WhatsApp did not link the campaign to any specific government, Paragon has not stated which government client initiated the operation.
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If you have additional information regarding Paragon Solutions and this spyware initiative, please contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or via email from a non-work device. You can also reach out to TechCrunch through SecureDrop.
The Italian government has refuted any claims of involvement in the hacking operation. A statement from the Italian prime minister’s office affirmed that legally protected entities, including journalists, were not targeted by the country’s intelligence services.
Furthermore, the Italian government noted in the same release that Meta had informed them of other individuals being targeted in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
With the exception of Austria, none of these governments have responded to TechCrunch’s inquiries through their U.S. embassies or other governmental channels.
A representative of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior informed TechCrunch that local authorities are aware of the Paragon attacks but also declined to provide further details.
During the aforementioned press conference, David Yambio, a co-founder of the Italy-based NGO Refugees in Libya, mentioned that he too had been targeted by a spyware campaign. Yambio clarified that he was not targeted through WhatsApp, but conveyed to The Guardian that Apple alerted him about a “mercenary spyware attack” on November 13.
At this stage, it remains uncertain whether Yambio’s targeting is connected to the same hacking efforts employed by Paragon’s spyware.
Neither Paragon nor representatives from the Italian government responded to TechCrunch’s inquiries for further information.
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