Spyware Targeting Italian Entrepreneur Francesco Caltagirone Revealed
ROME – Italian entrepreneur, publisher, and financier Francesco Gaetano caltagirone was reportedly targeted with Graphite spyware, developed by Israeli firm Paragon Solutions. the discovery adds to a growing list of individuals compromised by the software, which has been used by governments and law enforcement agencies internationally, including in Italy.
according to reports from IrpiMedia and La Stampa, Caltagirone received a notification from WhatsApp regarding the potential spyware intrusion. This occurred on the same day notifications were sent to journalist Francesco Cancellato, director of Fanpage, and Luca casarini and Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Caccia, founders of the NGO Mediterranea.
The incident appears to be linked to a WhatsApp chat from December 2023 that included Caltagirone’s phone number. A PDF file was shared within the group, comprised of known contacts, but both the file and the chat itself subsequently disappeared. In January 2024, Meta, the parent company of whatsapp, alerted affected users to a vulnerability that allowed for the insertion of spyware capable of collecting user information and monitoring activity without requiring clicks on links or attachments.
The case emerged following revelations by Cancellato regarding an attack on meta. The Italian government has denied involvement in the operation targeting Cancellato, but acknowledged intelligence activity against Mediterranea activists.
Citizen Lab, a research laboratory at the University of Toronto, initially identified the graphite spyware linked to Paragon Solutions. On January 31st, WhatsApp notified approximately 90 users globally who were believed to be affected.
The parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic (Copasir) is expected to discuss developments in the Paragon case during a session scheduled for the third week of October.copasir previously issued a report on the matter in June and may request further intelligence information regarding the targeting of Caltagirone. As of now, the identity of those responsible for attempting to spy on Caltagirone remains unknown.
