Israeli Spyware Graphite Deployed Against Journalists and Civil Society Activists via WhatsApp
WhatsApp detected Israeli-made spyware called Graphite, developed by Paragon Solutions, compromising approximately 90 journalist and civil society accounts through its platform. Italian investigations confirmed that at least two journalists were specifically targeted, raising concerns the tool was deployed against government critics despite being marketed for counterterrorism use.
What happened
WhatsApp announced in January 2025 that it identified spyware called Graphite, developed by Israeli company Paragon Solutions, that breached the accounts of approximately 90 journalists and civil society activists. The company detected an effort to hack the platform users and referred victims to Citizen Lab for investigation.
In Italy, forensic findings confirmed that at least two journalists were targeted with Graphite spyware, including Francesco Cancellato, editor-in-chief of Fanpage, whose Android phone was targeted via WhatsApp, and bureau chief Pellegrino, whose iPhone was targeted with a zero-click iMessage exploit. Apple warned Pellegrino that he had been targeted with 'mercenary spyware.'
Reported impact
The targeting of journalists and civil society activists with military-grade spyware raised concerns that the tool was being misused beyond its intended counterterrorism purpose and deployed against members of the press critical of the Italian government.
Index analysis
Paragon stated that it works exclusively with state entities, including the Israeli security establishment and the FBI. Italian parliamentary intelligence committee Copasir investigated four cases involving human rights activists and journalist Cancellato, confirming infections in three activist cases but finding no conclusive evidence Cancellato's phone was hacked by Italy.
Paragon accused Italian authorities of refusing to carry out a full technical verification that could have settled questions about responsibility. The company terminated its contracts in Italy after the Italian government decided not to proceed with Paragon's proposed technical verification process.
Governance controls
Italy's parliamentary intelligence committee Copasir concluded an inquiry into the alleged misuse of Paragon's spyware. Italy's parliamentary inquiry committee announced the contract between the country's intelligence services and Paragon has been canceled.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.