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WhatsApp Claims an Israeli Company Attempted to Hack Dozens of Users

Jan 23, 2026 January 23, 2026 2 min read 📰 Radio Farda
📋 Key Takeaway

WhatsApp has reported that the Israeli company Paragon Solutions attempted to hack around 90 users, including journalists and activists. The Israeli government has denied involvement in these espionage activities. This incident highlights ongoing concerns about the use of spyware against civil society and media figures.

🔍 Quick Context Guide
💡 Bottom Line: The incident highlights ongoing cybersecurity threats from private companies and the challenges in regulating such activities.

👥 Key Players

WhatsApp MENTIONED
Messaging platform owned by Meta
"WhatsApp is a widely used communication tool globally, including in Iran, and its security is crucial for protecting user privacy."
Paragon Solutions MENTIONED
Israeli company accused of developing spyware
"Paragon Solutions is implicated in cybersecurity breaches that affect global communication security."
Israeli Government MENTIONED
National government of Israel
"The Israeli government's stance on cybersecurity and export licensing affects international relations and human rights concerns."
Citizen Lab MENTIONED
Canadian internet monitoring group
"Citizen Lab is known for its research on digital threats and has been involved in investigating spyware use."

📰 What Happened

WhatsApp reported that the Israeli company Paragon Solutions attempted to hack around 90 users, including journalists and activists. The Israeli government denied involvement in these activities.

  • WhatsApp claims Paragon Solutions targeted approximately 90 users.
  • The Israeli government denied any involvement in these espionage activities.

💡 Why It Matters

🇮🇷 For Iran: Iranian civil society and media figures could be potential targets of such spyware, affecting freedom of expression and privacy.
🌍 Regional: The Middle East is a hotspot for cyber espionage, and this incident underscores regional cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
🌐 International: Internationally, this raises concerns about privacy and the ethical use of technology by private companies.

📚 Background

Spyware developed by private companies has been used to target journalists and activists globally, raising human rights concerns.

Cybersecurity Human rights and privacy
📡 Source: INTERNATIONAL
📊 Confidence: 70%
The source is Reuters, a reputable international news agency known for its balanced reporting.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has reported that dozens of users of this messaging platform were targeted by spyware from the Israeli company "Paragon Solutions." An official from the messaging service told Reuters on Friday, February 1, that this Israeli company attempted to hack approximately 90 users of the platform, including journalists and civil activists. The official stated that WhatsApp sent a letter to the Israeli company to stop and refrain from continuing these attacks. They refrained from disclosing the identities or geographical locations of the targeted individuals, only mentioning that some of the targets included members of civil society and the media. The official added that WhatsApp has halted the attacks and referred the targeted users to the Canadian internet monitoring group "Citizen Lab." However, the official did not clarify whether "Paragon Solutions" was able to access the targeted users' information. The Israeli government denied any involvement in the espionage activities of the Israeli company against individuals. This WhatsApp official also informed Reuters that legal entities and industrial partners of the messaging service have been made aware of the issue. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has not yet commented on this matter. In an official statement, WhatsApp declared that it will continue its efforts to protect people's ability to communicate securely and privately. This is not the first time Israeli companies have been accused of attempting to spy on WhatsApp users. In January 2020, the messaging service announced that the Israeli company "NSO" had assisted various countries' intelligence agencies in spying on journalists, political opponents, diplomats, and even senior officials of those governments by hacking their mobile phones. A few months prior, Amnesty International stated that it is the responsibility of the Israeli government to respond to the export licensing of this company, which has led to "human rights violations," and formally requested that the Israeli government take legal action against this company. Subsequently, Zeev Elkin, the then Minister of the Israeli Security Cabinet, denied any involvement or role of the Israeli government in assisting an Israeli company in spying on journalists, political opponents, lawyers, and diplomats.

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Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →

Translation confidence: 85%

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