On Friday, at 2:48 pm, Francisco received a fateful notification on his mobile phone while he was at home near Milan.
“This is a message from WhatsApp”, read the message in Italian, which was obtained by Techcrunch. “In December, WhatsApp boycotted the activities of the spyware company that we believe attacked your device. Our investigations indicate that you may have received a harmful file via WhatsApp and that spyware may have led to access to your data, including messages reserved on the device.”
We have made changes to prevent this specified attack again. However, the operating system in your device may remain at risk due to spyware. ”
CNCELSO is the first goal to advance after the disclosure of the piracy campaign that was implemented using spyware claimed to be presented by Paragon Solutions, as WhatsApp claimed on Friday.
At that time, WhatsApp said that the espionage campaign targeted about 90 people, including journalists such as CNCELlato and civil society members around the world, including Europe.
“I feel a violation,” CANCELlato told Techcrunch, who said he initially thought the message was a fraud or joke. “You always think that the journalist may be confined or spying, but you do so more than your bone madness and to know the fact that you may be. When someone tells you that it is true, you do not tend to believe that, you always tend to believe It is something else.
Then he said he realized that he was real. “You ask yourself, why am I? This is the thing, I mean, what did they want me?”
“This is the first question, and the second question is what they took from me? Where did they go? He said CNCELlato. “Then the third question is the one who did that?”
CNCELlato is a manager fanpage.itItalian news site Investigations known as investigations In corruption, organized crime, Catholic Church, The youth of the wing From the extreme right -wing ruling party in Italy, led by Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.
So Multi -part Last year, Fanpage sent reporters to the secrecy to infiltrate “GiovenTù Meloniana”, a group that is part of the Meloni Fratelli d’ATalia party, who ruled Italy since 2022. The investigation showed videos of several members of the party carrying out racist notes against Jews and lions People chant the words n and Nazi slogans, and sing from the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini.
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Do you have more information about Paragon and this spyware campaign? From a non-action device, you can call Lorenzo Franceschi-bicchierai safely to indicate +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybasarezofb, or email. You can also contact Techcrunch via Securedrop.
CANCELlato said he decided to do so It comes out publicly Because, as a journalist, his job is to report the news. However, he said he did not want to speculate on those behind him. At this stage, there are many questions that have not been answered. Including whether his phone was already penetrated or targeted without success, the infiltrators were after him, who ordered the attack.
WhatsApp said that piracy campaign has been implemented by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli government spyware maker who sells a product for spying on encrypted applications, such as WhatsApp and Signal, is called graphite, Forbes also mentioned in 2021.
WhatsApp spokesman did not respond to a comment request asking whether the company could confirm that CNCELlato was a target.
Guardian It quoted a person close to the company, saying that Paragon Solutions sold its products to 35 democratic government agents. Israeli news port I mentioned On Monday that Italy is a Paraguone agent.
Also on Monday, the guardian I mentioned The Libyan activist residing in Sweden, WhatsApp was notified by the activist in Sweden as one of the goals of the piracy campaign. Gravity Vocal criticism Italy’s relationship with Libya, especially an agreement between the two countries to prevent immigrants from crossing the Mediterranean.
Techcrunch did not receive a response after contacting the email address of the Italian government’s press office, as well as to Fabrizio alfano, head of the Meloni press office, via email and WhatsApp.
Paragon Solutions planted a reputation for being a seller responsible for monitoring technology. On its official websiteThe company says it “provides our customers to tools, teams and morals morally to disrupt the intractable threats.”
An unveiled source named Paragon Solutions Tell New Yorker Last year, the company’s deal with the migration of the United States and the enforcement of customs months ago in September as a result of the examination process, as it was claimed that the company showed that it could prevent its technology by other countries against the Americans, but not the United States government
Paragon Solutions was obtained in December 2024 by American Private Equity Giant AE Industrial Partners.
Paragon Solutions and AE Industrial did not respond to the comment.
The WhatsApp message to CNCELATO suggested that he can call Citizen Lab, a group of digital rights at the University of Toronto, which has been achieved in violations of spyware for a decade of time all over the world, including Ethiopia, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
He told CNCELlato, who said that Panfage contacted the authorities, told Techcrunch that “he did what I asked the message to do.”
“It is strange that the journalist is spying in a Western democracy,” said Cancellat
