Italian investigative journalist targeted on WhatsApp by Israeli spyware

The Guardian

31-01-2025

An Italian investigative journalist who is known for exposing young fascists within prime minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right party was targeted with spyware made by Israel-based Paragon Solutions, according to a WhatsApp notification received by the journalist.
Francesco Cancellato, the editor-in-chief of the Italian investigative news outlet Fanpage, was the first person to come forward publicly after WhatsApp announced on Friday that 90 journalists and other members of civil society had been targeted by the spyware.
The journalist, like dozens of others whose identities are not yet known, said he received a notification from the messaging app on Friday afternoon.
WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has not identified the targets or their precise location, but said they were based in more than two dozen countries, including European countries.
WhatsApp said it discovered that Paragon was targeting its users in December and shut down the vector used to 'possibly compromise' the individuals. Like other spyware makers, Paragon sells use of its spyware, known as Graphite, to government agencies, who are supposed to use it to fight and prevent crime.
Paragon's spyware was allegedly delivered to targets who were placed on group chats without their permission, and sent malware through PDFs in the group chat. Paragon makes no-click spyware, which means users do not have to click on any link or attachment to be infected, and is simply delivered to the phone.
It is not clear how long Cancellato may have been compromised. But the editor published a high-profile investigative story last year that exposed how members of Meloni's far-right party's youth wing had engaged in fascist chants, Nazi salutes, and antisemitic rants.
Fanpage's undercover reporters – although not Cancellato personally – had infiltrated groups and chat forums used by members of the National Youth, a wing of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party. The outlet published clips of National Youth members chanting 'Duce' – a reference to Benito Mussolini – and 'Sieg Heil', and boasting about their familial connections to historical figures linked to neofascist terrorism. The stories were published in May.
Cancellato, 45, said he did not have reason to suspect in December that his mobile device was compromised and has never been told by any authorities that he is under investigation. The news felt like a 'violation', he said.
'We just began the technical analysis on the device in order to evaluate the actual extent of this attack, what was actually taken or spied on, and for how long. Obviously it is also in our interest to know, if it's possible to do so, who ordered this espionage activity,' Cancellato told the Guardian.
Meloni's party faced criticism in Italy and in Brussels following the publication of Fanpage's reporting. A European Commission spokesperson at the time said: 'The point of view of the European Commission and of President Ursula von der Leyen on the symbolism of fascism is very clear: we do not believe it is appropriate, we condemn it, we think it is morally wrong.'
The president of the Jewish Community of Rome, Victor Fadlun, called for 'appropriate actions be taken' after the Fanpage reports. 'It is imperative that society and institutions react strongly against all forms of hatred and discrimination,' he wrote on X.
Giovanni Donzelli, a Brothers of Italy MP and party organizer, said at the time there was 'no place' for 'racists, extremists, and antisemites' in his party.
Paragon Solutions declined to comment.
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