WhatsApp itself has confirmed that Israeli spyware used to target and monitor nearly 100 journalists and prominent individuals.

Meta-owned platform known for its end-to-end encryption and privacy protection, has over 2 billion users worldwide. Shocking information has surfaced regarding surveillance attempts on high-profile accounts.

Israeli tech company Paragon Solutions allegedly tried to hack WhatsApp accounts of journalists, researchers, and analysts—mostly in Europe. Reports suggest that they used zero-click hacking allowing them to take full control of devices without users clicking on any link. This method lets hackers access encrypted messages without the user’s knowledge.

WhatsApp claims it successfully blocked these attacks and alerted affected users. Paragon Solutions, co-founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak sells high-end surveillance tools to government agencies. Though these tools are marketed for counterterrorism, Israel has been accused of using them for intelligence gathering worldwide.

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In previous incidents, Israeli spyware Pegasus also used for surveillance raising global concerns about privacy breaches by Tel Aviv.