Overview

• Citizen Lab found traces of Paragon’s Graphite spyware on the iPhones of Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino and an unnamed prominent European journalist.
• The findings contradict a COPASIR report that had concluded no journalists were compromised, raising doubts about the panel’s inquiry.
• Italy’s intelligence agencies AISI and AISE suspended Paragon’s surveillance systems on February 14 following allegations of spyware misuse.
• In January, WhatsApp notified about 90 users in over two dozen countries, including journalists and migrant rescue workers, that they had been targeted with Paragon spyware.
• Digital rights groups say the confirmed infections underscore enduring oversight gaps in government contracts with private surveillance firms.