Meta Disrupts Malicious Campaign Against Journalists on WhatsApp

Meta said it discovered and disrupted a malicious campaign targeting journalists and civil society members on its popular messaging platform, WhatsApp.

Threat actors weaponize WhatsApp in malicious campaign

Meta recently discovered that threat actors were spreading malware through WhatsApp in a targeted malicious campaign.

The operation saw perpetrators push Paragon, a strain of spyware also known as Graphite, towards nearly 100 targets, including civil society members and journalists.

Paragon Solutions, an Israeli commercial spyware vendor, was acquired by Florida-based investment group AE Industrial Partners for $900 million in December.

Zero-click exploit used against victims

According to security experts, threat actors leveraged a zero-click exploit to compromise devices, a hack deemed particularly stealthy because it does not require user interaction.

Paragon’s capabilities give its operators total access to infected devices, allowing them to see even messages sent through encrypted apps.

Although no official reports regarding the spyware campaign have been released, security experts believe threat actors delivered the malicious payload via spiked PDF files pushed in WhatsApp group chats.

Company response and mitigation steps

After the malicious campaign was discovered and disrupted, Meta sent Paragon a cease-and-desist letter, adding that it could also face legal action.

“WhatsApp has disrupted a spyware campaign by Paragon that targeted a number of users including journalists and members of civil society,” a Meta spokesperson told The Guardian. “We’ve reached out directly to people who we believe were affected. This is the latest example of why spyware companies must be held accountable for their unlawful actions. WhatsApp will continue to protect people’s ability to communicate privately.”

Paragon Solutions refused to comment on the situation.

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