The Italian businessman’s phone was reportedly targeted with Paragon spyware

A prominent Italian businessman has been targeted with Paragon spyware, according to local news reports.

On Thursday, the Italian investigation website IrpiMedia And a newspaper No Stampa It was reported that Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone was among About 90 people received notification From WhatsApp in January, alerting it that it had been targeted with spyware produced by Paragon Solutions.

It is not immediately clear why Caltagirone was targeted, and a spokesman for his holding company, Caltagirone SpA, did not respond to a request for comment.

Caltagirone’s holding company of the same name Owns several companies Across various industries, including construction, real estate, finance and publishing, which includes the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

Caltagirone became the first businessman added to the list of Paragon’s victims in Italy. So far, the other victims are journalists Francesco Cancellato and Ciro Pellegrinowho work for the online news site Fanpage; And immigration activists Luca Cassarini and Giuseppe Cacciawhich works for The Mediterranean saves humansIt is an Italian non-governmental organization that helps rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.

The alleged targeting of Caltagirone now expands Italy’s ongoing Paragon spyware scandal to include victims beyond journalists and activists. After reports emerged that fan page journalists were targeted, Breaking off same-sex relationships With the Italian government, whose intelligence agencies were its clients.

Paragon, which has long claimed to be an “ethical” spyware maker, is headquartered in Israel It was bought by US private equity giant AE Industrial in December 2024. As part of the deal, Paragon will reportedly merge with cybersecurity company REDLattice.

When TechCrunch reached out to Paragon for comment in September regarding… Company contract with US Immigration and Customs EnforcementA company spokesperson referred questions to REDLattice Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Erras, indicating that the merger may have been completed.

Paragon and WhatsApp did not respond to a request for comment.