WhatsApp told media outlets that it had "high confidence" that journalists and activists were targeted by Paragon spyware and that they were "possibly compromised." It did not provide names of people it believed to be compromised.

WhatsApp has revealed it has disrupted a spyware hacking campaign targeting journalists and prominent members of civil society. The spyware in question belongs to Paragon, a commercial spyware company founded by former Israeli intelligence officers, which Meta-owned WhatsApp has directly implicated in the campaign.

Italy faced pressure on Friday to explain its relationship with Israeli spyware maker Paragon following reports that the company had cut ties with Rome over allegations that the government had used its technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals.

The victims were mainly journalists and other members of civil society, WhatsApp confirmed last week after accusing Paragon of the spyware campaign and issuing a cease and desist

An official at Meta’s popular WhatsApp chat service has said Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions targeted 90 of its users, including journalists and members of civil society. The official told the Reuters news agency on Friday that WhatsApp had sent Paragon a cease-and-desist letter following the hack.