Seven WhatsApp Users in Italy Targeted by Spyware

Italy’s government reported on Wednesday that seven mobile phone users in the country had fallen victim to a spyware attack via WhatsApp, calling the incident “particularly serious.”

The office of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed that the National Cybersecurity Agency alerted after reports emerged of a journalist and a migrant rescue activist being targeted.

The government denied any involvement in the attack.

Luca Casarini, co-founder of the Mediterranea Saving Humans charity, shared with Reuters the spyware alert he received from WhatsApp on Friday.

This coincided with Meta Platforms’ public announcement accusing surveillance company Paragon Solutions of targeting nearly 90 users in multiple countries, including journalists and activists.

Meloni’s office stated that the National Cybersecurity Agency was informed about the seven confirmed cases in Italy but did not release the names of the individuals to protect their privacy.

It was also reported that spyware was discovered among WhatsApp users in several European Union countries, including Belgium, Greece, Latvia, and others.

Meta’s statement, which was paired with a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon, claimed the company had used a “zero-click” hacking method to steal user data, requiring no interaction from the target.

Casarini, a frequent target of criticism by anti-migrant media, was also previously prosecuted for allegedly aiding illegal immigration.

He noted that he was uncertain whether the spyware attempt had legal authorization but called the breach “a violation of democracy.”

Francesco Cancellato, an Italian journalist whose newspaper Fanpage investigates undercover stories, also confirmed receiving a similar alert.

Cancellato’s recent investigation had exposed Meloni’s youth wing with members endorsing fascist ideologies.

He expressed surprise at the intrusion but emphasized that his newspaper would conduct its own investigation before drawing conclusions about the perpetrators.