Sci & Tech
Dozens Of Journalists, Civil Society Members Targeted By Israeli Spyware In Whatsapp Hack
WhatsApp says it has ‘high confidence’ that 90 journalists and members of civil society were targeted and ‘possibly compromised,’ according to The Guardian
Scores of journalists and civil society members were targeted on WhatsApp by Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions, according to a report published Friday.
In all, WhatsApp said it has “high confidence” that 90 journalists and members of civil society were targeted and “possibly compromised,” the company said in a statement to the British newspaper The Guardian.
It is unclear who directed the cyberattack, but Paragon’s Graphite spyware is known to be used by government clients.
Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WhatsApp told the British daily that it issued a “cease and desist” letter to Paragon, notifying the Israeli company that it is weighing potential legal options in response to the hack. Notifications to victims remain ongoing.
“WhatsApp has disrupted a spyware campaign by Paragon that targeted a number of users, including journalists and members of civil society. 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,” a spokesperson said.
Once infected by Graphite, a user’s phone is completely compromised, and the spyware operator can access everything on it, including encrypted messages.
Anonymous experts told The Guardian that the hack was likely a “zero-click” attack, which does not require a user to click on any links to become infected.
WhatsApp said it believes users became infected by a malicious PDF file sent to targets who were added to group chats, saying it has assessed with “confidence” that Paragon was involved in the attack.
Kenya Insights allows guest blogging, if you want to be published on Kenya’s most authoritative and accurate blog, have an expose, news TIPS, story angles, human interest stories, drop us an email on [email protected] or via Telegram
Poison at the Pump: How Kenya’s Fuel Marking System May Be Exposing Millions to Cancer-Causing Chemicals
Inside Nyayo House: The Kitchen Cartel That Demands Sh100,000 for a Stove
JSC Rot: “Why I Paid Over Sh4 Million for a High Court Slot” — Explosive Claims by ‘Incoming Judge’
Fly 748 Is Back And Flies You To Mombasa From Just Sh6,500
KRA Introduces WhatsApp Tax Filing and How It Works
Trump Says Iran War Almost Over, Warns Of Weeks More Heavy Strikes
Sold And Abandoned: How Diageo and Asahi Are Locking Kenya’s EABL Minority Shareholders Out Of East Africa’s Biggest Corporate Heist
Treasury Hands Sh358M Brief to Eric Gumbo’s Firm While Bypassing Standard Rules — and the Lawyer Is Already Deep Inside Ruto’s State Machine
Understanding Crash Betting: How It Works and What to Know Before You Play
How Firm Linked To Mombasa Tycoon Jaffer Was Allowed To Import Fuel At Bloated Price And Set To Make Billions In Profits From Iranian War Crisis In Kenya
Tuju Forcefully Removed From His Karen Property With Masked Officers In Unmarked Vehicles In Early Morning Raid
How Little-Known Pesa Print, Linked to State House Tycoons, Won NTSA Tender Worth Sh42 Billion in Traffic Fines
Named: Havi Says Mutava Confessed He Was Collecting The Bribe For Lady Justice Josephine Mongare, So Why Is JSC Still Silence?
The Man With The Golden Pen: How NLC’s Joel Ombati Is Accused Of Masterminding Kenya’s Biggest Infrastructure Land Heist
‘They Will Eat You Alive’: Retired Teacher Warns Against Bashy African Credit as Sh500,000 Loan Spirals Into Sh1.5 Million Fight
THE HANDSHAKE THAT BECAME A NOOSE: How Tuju’s Alleged Intimate Access to EADB’s Yeda Apopo Produced a Sh294 Million Deal With No Written Contract, and Why That Trust Destroyed an Empire
Waweru’s Bank Pockets Sh1.16 Billion from KPC IPO While Ordinary Kenyans Fled the Sale
Forged Legacy: How Kaplan and Stratton’s Peter Gachuhi Is Accused of Faking a Top AG’s Will as State Claims Damning Evidence
Men Linked to Akasha Drug Dynasty Charged With Death Threats and Assault at Nairobi Nightclub
The New Master of the Nation: How a Tanzanian Billionaire With a President in His Pocket Just Bought Kenya’s Most Powerful Press
-
Business1 week agoTHE HANDSHAKE THAT BECAME A NOOSE: How Tuju’s Alleged Intimate Access to EADB’s Yeda Apopo Produced a Sh294 Million Deal With No Written Contract, and Why That Trust Destroyed an Empire
-
Investigations5 days agoForged Legacy: How Kaplan and Stratton’s Peter Gachuhi Is Accused of Faking a Top AG’s Will as State Claims Damning Evidence
-
News1 week agoMen Linked to Akasha Drug Dynasty Charged With Death Threats and Assault at Nairobi Nightclub
-
News1 week agoCity Lawyer Kimani Wachira Caught Up In Bribery Web Fights Claims
-
Business5 days agoHow Firm Linked To Mombasa Tycoon Jaffer Was Allowed To Import Fuel At Bloated Price And Set To Make Billions In Profits From Iranian War Crisis In Kenya
-
Business2 weeks agoBig Shame: EY and PwC Found Guilty of Fraud and Corruption in Kenya as World Bank Bans Lay Bare Scandal Inside the Global Audit Elite
-
News4 days agoTreasury Hands Sh358M Brief to Eric Gumbo’s Firm While Bypassing Standard Rules — and the Lawyer Is Already Deep Inside Ruto’s State Machine
-
Business5 days agoTHE BANK THAT BROKE THE TRUCKER: How NCBA’s Asset Financing Empire Is on Trial Before London’s Most Feared Arbitral Tribunal