Israeli-American spyware maker Paragon Solutions has failed to respond to a formal request for information from Italian prosecutors investigating a hacking campaign that targeted journalists and activists, according to a report by Wired Italy published in April 2026.
The investigation stems from notifications sent by WhatsApp and Apple to dozens of people in Italy — including journalists and civil society workers — alerting them that they had been targeted with government spyware. WhatsApp identified Paragon as the company behind the campaign, which used its “Graphite” spyware to target approximately 90 people worldwide. Several victims filed criminal complaints, prompting prosecutors in Rome and Naples to open a joint investigation.
Italian prosecutors sent their formal request for information to Paragon through the Israeli government. A year later, the company has not responded. It is unclear whether Paragon chose not to cooperate or whether the Israeli government intervened. Israeli human rights lawyer Itay Mack told Wired Italy that while the Israeli government could compel local companies to cooperate with foreign judicial requests, “this has never happened.” In 2024, the Israeli government reportedly seized documents from NSO Group to prevent that company from complying with a separate legal demand.
The development is notable given that Paragon previously criticized the Italian government for declining the company’s offer to help investigate whether a journalist had been hacked. Paragon went on to cancel its contracts with Italy’s two spy agencies, AISE and AISI, citing that refusal. Spain’s High Court closed a similar investigation into NSO Group’s spyware earlier this year, also citing a lack of cooperation from Israeli authorities.
Among the confirmed victims are journalists Francesco Cancellato and Ciro Pellegrino of the news site Fanpage, and activists from Mediterranea Saving Humans, a nonprofit focused on rescuing migrants crossing the Mediterranean. The Citizen Lab confirmed both journalists were hacked with Graphite. A March 2026 forensic analysis confirmed Cancellato’s phone was compromised, though the same could not be concluded for Pellegrino’s device.
Paragon currently holds an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE has told lawmakers that its law-enforcement arm, Homeland Security Investigations, is using Paragon’s spyware for counterterrorism and drug trafficking operations. The Italian prosecutors’ investigation remains ongoing.
Source: TechCrunch