Paragon Graphite: Spyware on Journalists’ iPhones — Italian Silence and Israeli Denial

Citizen Lab has confirmed that two journalists’ smartphones have been infected with Paragon Graphite, an Israeli spyware that uses zero-click exploits via iMessage. One of the victims is Fanpage journalist Ciro Pellegrino. The other is a well-known European journalist who has remained anonymous. Suspicions are pointing to Italy, but the authorities deny everything and do not allow Paragon to verify the facts.

The Citizen Lab institute reported that at least two journalists’ devices in Europe were infected with Paragon Graphite, an Israeli spyware. Both phones were active when they connected to infrastructure that Citizen Lab had already linked to Paragon. In one case, the infection occurred through a zero-click attack via iMessage — the user did not even have to click anything.

The other infected person — Ciro Pellegrino from Fanpage — received a warning from Apple back in April, but it has only now become known that the software was likely from Paragon. His colleague, Francesco Cancellato, was also targeted, although an Italian parliamentary commission officially stated that there was no evidence of attacks.

Paragon announced the termination of its contract with the Italian government after numerous public disputes. At the same time, Italian intelligence services denied the company access to Graphite logs, citing national security considerations.

Paragon is a company founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and a former intelligence officer, which tried to position itself as an ethical alternative to NSO Group (Pegasus). However, in January, WhatsApp accused it of trying to hack about 90 accounts. Cancellato was listed among the victims. The company denied guilt at the time, but it attracted international attention. In June, the COPASIR parliamentary commission acknowledged that Graphite was used against activists promoting legal immigration, considering it “legitimate surveillance.” However, the denial continues regarding journalists.

Despite mounting evidence, Italy is ignoring signals of spyware in the media. Pellegrino says bluntly that the government has done nothing to investigate. And Citizen Lab proves once again that even “invisible” zero-click attacks leave a mark. The main risk is not in the technology, but in indifference to the facts.