Italian media groups file criminal complaint over the WhatsApp hack on journalists

The fallout continues from the recent WhatsApp hacking campaign (by a still-unconfirmed entity) that targeted nearly 100 journalists and activists. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that a collection of Italian media groups has filed a criminal complaint with the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office. They hope to discover who installed the zero-click spyware, which was made by the Israeli-founded Paragon Solutions.

According to Bloomberg, the complaint describes the spyware as an "intolerable intrusion into the personal and professional dimension of journalists," exposing them and their sources "to enormous and still persistent risks for their individual safety." It alleges that those responsible violated Italy's laws banning the "illicit installation" of eavesdropping equipment.

WhatsApp said it reached out privately to notify the victims of the hack, which reportedly took place in December and targeted users across Europe. Three Italian victims have come forward, including Francesco Cancellato (a journalist and head of Fanpage.it) and activists Beppe Caccia and Luca Casarini. The latter two focus on charity with the group Mediterranea Saving Humans.

WhatsApp said the zero-click hack used malicious PDFs sent to groups on the platform. The company has since released a fix to prevent future uses of the exploit.

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The scandal is putting pressure on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her far-right Brothers of Italy party. Earlier this month, the government confirmed that at least seven Italian phones were involved in the campaign and that its National Cybersecurity Agency was investigating. Arturo Di Corinto, a spokesman for the agency, told Bloomberg this week that the investigation was ongoing.

The Italian government has denied involvement in the hacks, but speculation abounds. Last week, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed in parliament that the government had a long-standing contract with Paragon to assist with intelligence and national security-related issues. However, he insisted the law was "rigorously respected."

The Guardian reported that Paragon recently suspended a contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public. However, Ciriani said the intelligence services contract with Paragon is still active, which suggests there was a second agreement. Indeed, Israel's Haaretz reported that Paragon had two contracts with Italy to use its military-grade Graphite software, which WhatsApp has said was used to infect the victims' devices.

Paragon, essentially a professional spyware company, has a policy of only doing business with democratic governments. It recently entered into a controversial $2 million contract with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department. Paragon was acquired in December by American private equity company AE Industrial Partners. The company hasn't yet commented on the hacking.

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