Greece has launched an investigation into a WhatsApp data leak using Israeli spyware, Greek media reported on Thursday.
According to the Kathimerini newspaper, the country’s Data Protection Authority announced it has opened an investigation into a case involving the leak of personal data of WhatsApp users, including subscribers in Greece, using malicious software from Israeli company Paragon Solutions.
The agency also said it had launched an investigation into the legality of Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek under data protection rules.
The platform said employees discovered in December that Paragon’s software was targeting users and promptly closed the vulnerability, which posed a threat to high-profile individuals. Paragon, like other spyware developers, sells its software, called Graphite, to government agencies, claiming it is used to fight crime.
Discussions with Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency and lawyers for WhatsApp Ireland Limited revealed that the software targeted seven Italian-coded phone numbers. In addition, phone numbers with country codes including Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden were among those affected.
Francesco Cancellato, editor-in-chief of the Italian publication Fanpage, was the first to publicly announce that he had received a warning from WhatsApp. He reported that the spyware had been used against him.
