Latest news with #LucaCiriani
Euronews
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Italian government denies illegal spying on journalists and activists using military-grade software
The Italian government has denied using military-grade surveillance technology to illegally spy on journalists and migrant activists but said it would cooperate with an investigation into digital "vulnerabilities" after at least seven Italian cellphones were apparently hacked with spyware. The story first broke on 31 January when Meta's WhatsApp messaging service informed dozens of people across the EU that their devices had been targeted using software from Paragon Solutions, an Israeli cyber technology company. In a statement, WhatsApp said it had disrupted "a spyware campaign by Paragon that targeted several users, including journalists and members of civil society." After The Guardian newspaper reported the hacking incident, the Italian government confirmed last Wednesday that at least seven Italian cellphones were involved and that it had ordered the National Cybersecurity Agency to investigate. Speaking to parliament's lower chamber on Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed that the Italian government has long had a contract with Paragon Solutions for intelligence-gathering technology that can help fight terrorism and other national security threats. However, he insisted that privacy law was "rigorously respected" and denied that the government had used the technology to spy on journalists illegally. He also threatened legal action against any claims to the contrary. "Regardless, it's up to judicial authorities to ascertain the source of the vulnerabilities that have been claimed," he said, adding that Italian intelligence services "are ready to provide full support." A close watch Among the Italians targeted were Luca Casarini, the head of the migrant rescue group Mediterranea Saving Humans, and Francesco Cancellato, editor of the Fanpage news website, both of who have been critical of the government. The two confirmed in interviews Wednesday that they had been informed by WhatsApp on 31 January that their phones had been infected with spyware. The message they received from WhatsApp suggested they contact Citizen Lab, a laboratory at the University of Toronto's Munk School that has for years played a leading role in exposing state-backed hackers worldwide. Cancellato said he believed he had been targeted by hackers who wanted to see what investigative stories Fanpage was developing. The site has previously published undercover reporting on the youth branch of Premier Giorgia Meloni's far-right party, Brothers of Italy, in which its journalists exposed neofascist behaviour. Casarini, meanwhile, leads an aid group that rescues people in the Mediterranean. He has previously criticised the Italian government's support for Libyan patrols of its coastline to prevent people-smuggling boats from crossing the sea.
Al Arabiya
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Italian government denies it spied on journalists and migrant activists using Paragon spyware
The Italian government denied Wednesday that it had spied on journalists and migrant activists using spyware, but said it would cooperate with an investigation into vulnerabilities after at least seven Italian cellphones were apparently hacked with military-grade surveillance technology. Meta's WhatsApp messaging service informed dozens of people across the European Union on January 31 that they had been targeted in a spyware attack using technology from Israeli cyber firm Paragon Solutions. In a statement provided by Meta's Italy press office, WhatsApp said it had disrupted what it called a 'spyware campaign' by Paragon that targeted several users, including journalists and members of civil society. After The Guardian newspaper reported the story, the Italian government confirmed on February 5 that at least seven Italian cellphones were involved and that it had activated the National Cybersecurity Agency, which reports to the premier's office, to investigate. It said other targeted phones had numbers from Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Speaking to parliament's lower chamber Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed that the Italian government for many years has had a contract with Paragon Solutions to provide intelligence-gathering capabilities to fight terrorism and other threats to national security. But he insisted that the law was rigorously respected and denied the government had used the technology to spy on journalists illegally. He threatened legal action against any claims to the contrary. 'Regardless, it's up to judicial authorities to ascertain the source of the vulnerabilities that have been claimed,' he said, adding that Italian intelligence services are ready to provide full support. The Guardian has reported that Paragon halted its contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public, but Ciriani said the contract with the intelligence services continues. That suggests that a second contract, perhaps with another law enforcement agency or police department, was canceled. Israel's Haaretz newspaper has said Paragon had two contracts with Italy for Graphite, a military-grade surveillance technology capable of hacking into encrypted smartphones. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to Paragon Solutions. Among the Italians targeted were Luca Casarini, the head of the migrant rescue group Mediterranea Saving Humans, and Francesco Cancellato, editor of the Fanpage news website, both of whose work has been critical of the government. Both confirmed in interviews Wednesday that they had been informed by WhatsApp on January 31 that their phones had been infected with the spyware. The message they received from WhatsApp suggested they contact Citizen Lab, based out of the Munk School at the University of Toronto, which has for years played a leading role in exposing state-backed hackers. Cancellato said he believed he had been targeted by hackers who wanted to see what investigative stories Fanpage was developing. He declined to speculate on who it might have been. Fanpage has published undercover reports in which journalists infiltrated the youth branch of Premier Giorgia Meloni's party and exposed extremist behavior. Casarini, for his part, heads an aid group that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean and has criticized the Italian government's support of Libya's patrols of its coasts to prevent smugglers' boats from leaving.
Arab Times
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Italian govt denies it spied on journalists, migrant activists using Paragon spyware
ROME, Feb 13, (AP): The Italian government denied Wednesday that it had spied on journalists and migrant activists using spyware but said it would cooperate with an investigation into "vulnerabilities' after at least seven Italian cellphones were apparently hacked with military-grade surveillance technology. Meta's WhatsApp messaging service informed dozens of people across the European Union on Jan. 31 that they had been targeted in a spyware attack using technology from Israeli cyber firm Paragon Solutions. In a statement provided by Meta's Italy press office, WhatsApp said it had disrupted what it called "a spyware campaign by Paragon that targeted several users, including journalists and members of civil society.' After The Guardian newspaper broke the story, the Italian government confirmed on Feb 5 that at least seven Italian cellphones were involved and that it had activated the National Cybersecurity Agency, which reports to the premier's office, to investigate. It said other targeted phones had numbers from Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Speaking to parliament's lower chamber Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed that the Italian government for many years has had a contract with Paragon Solutions to provide intelligence-gathering capabilities to fight terrorism and other threats to national security. But he insisted that the law was "rigorously respected' and denied the government had used the technology to spy on journalists illegally. He threatened legal action against any claims to the contrary. "Regardless, it's up to judicial authorities to ascertain the source of the vulnerabilities that have been claimed,' he said, adding that Italian intelligence services "are ready to provide full support.' The Guardian has reported that Paragon halted its contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public, but Ciriani said the contract with the intelligence services continues. That suggests that a second contract, perhaps with another law enforcement agency or police department, was canceled. Israel's Haaretz newspaper has said Paragon had two contracts with Italy for Graphite, a military-grade surveillance technology capable of hacking into encrypted smartphones.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Italian government denies it spied on journalists and migrant activists using Paragon spyware
ROME (AP) — The Italian government denied Wednesday that it had spied on journalists and migrant activists using spyware but said it would cooperate with an investigation into 'vulnerabilities' after at least seven Italian cellphones were apparently hacked with military-grade surveillance technology. Meta's WhatsApp messaging service informed dozens of people across the European Union on Jan. 31 that they had been targeted in a spyware attack using technology from Israeli cyber firm Paragon Solutions. In a statement provided by Meta's Italy press office, WhatsApp said it had disrupted what it called 'a spyware campaign by Paragon that targeted several users, including journalists and members of civil society.' See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. After The Guardian newspaper broke the story, the Italian government confirmed on Feb. 5 that at least seven Italian cellphones were involved and that it had activated the National Cybersecurity Agency, which reports to the premier's office, to investigate. It said other targeted phones had numbers from Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Speaking to parliament's lower chamber Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed that the Italian government for many years has had a contract with Paragon Solutions to provide intelligence-gathering capabilities to fight terrorism and other threats to national security. But he insisted that the law was 'rigorously respected' and denied the government had used the technology to spy on journalists illegally. He threatened legal action against any claims to the contrary. 'Regardless, it's up to judicial authorities to ascertain the source of the vulnerabilities that have been claimed,' he said, adding that Italian intelligence services 'are ready to provide full support.' The Guardian has reported that Paragon halted its contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public, but Ciriani said the contract with the intelligence services continues. That suggests that a second contract, perhaps with another law enforcement agency or police department, was canceled. Israel's Haaretz newspaper has said Paragon had two contracts with Italy for Graphite, a military-grade surveillance technology capable of hacking into encrypted smartphones. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to Paragon Solutions. Among the Italians targeted were Luca Casarini, the head of the migrant rescue group Mediterranea Saving Humans, and Francesco Cancellato, editor of the Fanpage new website, both of whose work has been critical of the government. Both confirmed in interviews Wednesday that they had been informed by WhatsApp on Jan. 31 that their phones had been infected with the spyware. The message they received from WhatsApp suggested they contact Citizen Lab, based out of the Munk School at the University of Toronto, which has for years played a leading role in exposing state-backed hackers. Cancellato said he believed he had been targeted as the 'backdoor' through which hackers could see what investigative stories Fanpage was developing. He surmised Fanpage's undercover reports, in which journalists infiltrated the youth branch of Premier Giorgia Meloni's party and exposed neofascist behavior, might have been of interest. Casarini, for his part, heads an aid group that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean and has criticized the Italian government's support of Libya's patrols of its coasts to prevent smugglers' boats from leaving. He said he was cooperating with prosecutors.
The Independent
12-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Italian government denies it spied on journalists and migrant activists using Paragon spyware
The Italian government denied Wednesday that it had spied on journalists and migrant activists using spyware but said it would cooperate with an investigation into 'vulnerabilities' after at least seven Italian cellphones were apparently hacked with military-grade surveillance technology. Meta's WhatsApp messaging service informed dozens of people across the European Union on Jan. 31 that they had been targeted in a spyware attack using technology from Israeli cyber firm Paragon Solutions. In a statement provided by Meta's Italy press office, WhatsApp said it had disrupted what it called 'a spyware campaign by Paragon that targeted several users, including journalists and members of civil society.' After The Guardian newspaper broke the story, the Italian government confirmed on Feb. 5 that at least seven Italian cellphones were involved and that it had activated the National Cybersecurity Agency, which reports to the premier's office, to investigate. It said other targeted phones had numbers from Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Speaking to parliament's lower chamber Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed that the Italian government for many years has had a contract with Paragon Solutions to provide intelligence-gathering capabilities to fight terrorism and other threats to national security. But he insisted that the law was 'rigorously respected' and denied the government had used the technology to spy on journalists illegally. He threatened legal action against any claims to the contrary. 'Regardless, it's up to judicial authorities to ascertain the source of the vulnerabilities that have been claimed,' he said, adding that Italian intelligence services 'are ready to provide full support.' The Guardian has reported that Paragon halted its contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public, but Ciriani said the contract with the intelligence services continues. That suggests that a second contract, perhaps with another law enforcement agency or police department, was canceled. Israel's Haaretz newspaper has said Paragon had two contracts with Italy for Graphite, a military-grade surveillance technology capable of hacking into encrypted smartphones. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to Paragon Solutions. Among the Italians targeted were Luca Casarini, the head of the migrant rescue group Mediterranea Saving Humans, and Francesco Cancellato, editor of the Fanpage new website, both of whose work has been critical of the government. Both confirmed in interviews Wednesday that they had been informed by WhatsApp on Jan. 31 that their phones had been infected with the spyware. The message they received from WhatsApp suggested they contact Citizen Lab, based out of the Munk School at the University of Toronto, which has for years played a leading role in exposing state-backed hackers. Cancellato said he believed he had been targeted as the 'backdoor' through which hackers could see what investigative stories Fanpage was developing. He surmised Fanpage's undercover reports, in which journalists infiltrated the youth branch of Premier Giorgia Meloni 's party and exposed neofascist behavior, might have been of interest. Casarini, for his part, heads an aid group that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean and has criticized the Italian government's support of Libya 's patrols of its coasts to prevent smugglers' boats from leaving. He said he was cooperating with prosecutors.
