The Italian government has confirmed a spyware campaign targeting citizens across Europe, with multiple countries affected, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The campaign, which was revealed by WhatsApp, utilized spyware made by Paragon Solutions, a company that sells its surveillance technology to governments and "allies."

The Italian government's statement comes after WhatsApp announced that it had disrupted a spyware campaign targeting around 90 users in over two dozen countries, including several in Europe. The government denied being behind the targeting of Italian citizens, including journalist Francesco Cancellato and activist Luca Casarini, who were among those affected by the spyware campaign.

The Italian government's defensive cybersecurity organization, the Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale (ACN), contacted WhatsApp and its law firm Advant, which revealed that seven mobile phone users in Italy were targeted in the spyware campaign. However, WhatsApp declined to provide the identities of the targets, citing privacy concerns.

WhatsApp also confirmed that mobile phone users in multiple European countries were targeted, based on their country phone codes. The messaging platform did not immediately respond to requests for comment, asking to confirm the number of targets in Italy, the countries mentioned by the Italian government, and other claims attributed to WhatsApp.

Paragon Solutions, the company behind the spyware, claims to have a "zero-tolerance policy" against the illicit targeting of journalists and other civil society figures. The company requires its users to agree to terms and conditions that explicitly prohibit such targeting, and says it would "terminate our relationship with any customer" that violates its terms of service.

However, the company has not responded to requests for comment, asking to confirm or deny whether the countries mentioned by the Italian government are indeed Paragon customers. The Italian government's ACN and the Prime Minister's office also did not respond to requests for comment.

The revelation of this spyware campaign raises concerns about the use of surveillance technology by governments and other entities to target individuals, including journalists and activists. The incident highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the use of such technology, as well as stronger protections for individuals' privacy and security.

The story is still developing, and TechCrunch is seeking more information about Paragon Solutions and the spyware campaign. If you have any information, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop.