WhatsApp

Spyware maker caught distributing malicious Android apps for years

Italian spyware maker SIO, known to sell its products to government customers, is behind a series of malicious Android apps that masquerade as WhatsApp and other popular apps but steal private data from a target’s device, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. Late last year, a security researcher shared three Android apps with TechCrunch, claiming they were […]

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Another person targeted by Paragon spyware comes forward

Another person who was allegedly targeted on WhatsApp with spyware made by Israeli company Paragon has come forward. Beppe Caccio, one of the co-founders of Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian non-government organization that helps immigrants, told TechCrunch that he had been targeted by the spyware campaign.  Caccio disclosed he was targeted after another one of

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Spyware maker Paragon terminates contract with Italian government: media reports

Paragon Solutions, a startup that sells access to surveillance technologies including phone spyware, has cut ties with the Italian government, according to reports in The Guardian and Haaretz. On Thursday, citing an anonymous source, The Guardian reported Paragon had first suspended its contract with Italy on Friday after WhatsApp said it had disrupted a hacking

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Paragon spyware used to target citizens across Europe, says Italian government

The Italian government said in a press release on Wednesday that a spyware campaign revealed by WhatsApp, and carried out with spyware made by Paragon Solutions, targeted people across several countries in Europe.  The government, led by far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni, denied being behind the targeting of Italian citizens Francesco Cancellato, a journalist who

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Spyware maker Paragon confirms U.S. government is a customer

Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions confirmed to TechCrunch that it sells its products to the U.S. government and other unspecified allied countries. Paragon’s executive chairman John Fleming said in a statement to TechCrunch on Tuesday that, “Paragon licenses its technology to a select group of global democracies — principally, the United States and its allies.”

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Journalist targeted on WhatsApp by Paragon spyware: ‘I feel violated’

On Friday, at 2:48 p.m., Francesco Cancellato received an ominous notification on his cell 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 interrupted the activities of a spyware company which we believe attacked your device. Our

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WhatsApp says it disrupted a hacking campaign targeting journalists with Paragon spyware

WhatsApp said on Friday that it had disrupted a hacking campaign that targeted around 90 users, including journalists and members of civil society.  A WhatsApp spokesperson told TechCrunch that the campaign was linked to Paragon, an Israeli spyware maker that was acquired in December of last year by American private equity giant AE Industrial Partners.

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WhatsApp wins reprieve in India over user data sharing

An Indian tribunal on Thursday suspended restrictions that would have barred WhatsApp from sharing user data with its parent company Meta, delivering a significant victory for Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire in its largest market by users. The ruling by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal temporarily lifts a five-year ban imposed by India’s antitrust

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Meta will soon let you link your WhatsApp account with Instagram and Facebook

Meta announced on Tuesday that users will soon be able to add their WhatsApp account to their Accounts Center, a hub where users can manage connected experiences across their Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Quest accounts. With this integration, users will be able to cross-post their WhatsApp Status as Stories on Instagram and Facebook, getting rid

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