Two European Journalists Targeted with Paragon Spyware Confirmed

New forensic analyses confirm that two Italian journalists, Ciro Pellegrino and Francesco Cancellato, along with an anonymous prominent European journalist, were targeted with military-grade spyware called Graphite, developed by U.S.-owned Paragon Solutions. This spyware was deployed via sophisticated zero-click iMessage attacks, raising serious concerns about media freedom and government surveillance. The Italian parliamentary committee overseeing intelligence acknowledged the use of Paragon spyware against activists but denied evidence of its deployment against journalists, a claim challenged by Citizen Lab's findings. The scandal has led to a public rupture between Paragon and the Italian government, with conflicting accounts about their severance and rejected offers from Paragon to assist in investigations. The revelations have intensified criticism of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's rightwing government, whose critics and opposition parties have expressed outrage and prompted a European Parliament debate. Meanwhile, the ongoing probes and public scrutiny highlight the broader implications for surveillance practices in Italy and potentially beyond Europe.