An Italian parliamentary committee has confirmed that the government used the Israeli-made spyware Graphite, developed by the offensive cyber company Paragon, to hack the smartphones of several activists working with migrants.

The committee confirmed that Paragon provided Graphite to two Italian agencies, including the country’s external intelligence service, starting in 2023. The version of Graphite provided did not include the ability to activate the phone’s microphone or camera, the report said. Instead, it only enabled its operators access to encrypted communications on the hacked devices.

The report also confirmed that Graphite exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp that Meta identified and patched in December 2024, one month before the spyware’s activity was publicly disclosed. The vulnerability’s discovery also caused “panic” at Israel’s military intelligence Unit 8200, according to the recent Israeli television report.

  • gogu@piefed.social
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    23 hours ago

    They hack Italian (i assume they are italian citizens) working with migrants. If real Italians arent safe from the Spying State, just imagine how safe the Data of South-Tyroleans is, italians northest province!

      • gogu@piefed.social
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        4 hours ago

        and who are you that you know this first hand? in italy? and even then you dont know as well as we do about the situation on the ground in south tyrol.

    • HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml
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      21 hours ago

      Are Italians discriminatory toward South-Tyroleans? Do they consider them Austrian and not Italian or something? Don’t know the lore.

      • gogu@piefed.social
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        4 hours ago

        There are Italians in South Tyrol, mostly in Meran and Bozen, which were given property and tax cuts by Mussolini to coloninse the Land. Many South Tyroleans were killed and their property stolen. The Italians still vote far right parties even after 80 years.

        In Bozen you can still hear many say:“Speak italian, you are in Italy and South Tyrol is Italy.”

        which de jure its true, de facto not.

      • Kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        7 hours ago

        actually it’s the opposite, or at least some of them don’t consider themselves Italians.

      • Thebigguy@lemmy.ml
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        6 hours ago

        It kinda depends on how right wing you are afaik. There are German south tyroleans and Italian south tyroleans. I think the Italians were traditionally more left wing afaik. Tyroleans in general are weird as fuck and think they’re gods gift to humanity they will be dicks to other Austrians. There is is a tyrolean saying that if you’re not tyrolean you’re not human. Anyways Andreas Hofer is the man and reject vaccinations because they’re trying to infuse you with Bavarian ethics

        If any one is tyrolean correct me if I’m wrong please