According to Italian media outlets, a well-known businessman from Italy has been targeted by Paragon spyware.
On Thursday, the investigative platform IrpiMedia and the newspaper La Stampa revealed that Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone was among nearly 90 individuals who, in January, received a WhatsApp notification informing them they had been targeted by spyware developed by Paragon Solutions.
The motive behind the targeting of Caltagirone remains unknown, and representatives for his holding company, Caltagirone SpA, did not reply to requests for comment.
Caltagirone’s holding company, which bears his name, has investments in a range of sectors such as construction, real estate, finance, and publishing—including the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
Caltagirone is the first business leader in Italy to be identified as a victim of Paragon spyware. Previously, the list of affected individuals included journalists Francesco Cancellato and Ciro Pellegrino from the online publication Fanpage, as well as immigration advocates Luca Casarini and Giuseppe Caccia from Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian NGO dedicated to rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean.
With Caltagirone now implicated, the Paragon spyware controversy in Italy has expanded to include targets beyond just reporters and activists. After it was revealed that Fanpage journalists had been targeted, Paragon ended its relationship with the Italian government, which had been a client through its intelligence services.
Paragon, which has consistently described itself as a producer of “ethical” spyware, is based in Israel and was acquired by the U.S. private equity firm AE Industrial in December 2024. Reports indicate that as part of this acquisition, Paragon was set to merge with cybersecurity company REDLattice.
When TechCrunch contacted Paragon in September for a statement about its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a spokesperson redirected inquiries to Jennifer Iras, REDLattice’s vice president of marketing, suggesting the merger had likely been completed.
Neither Paragon nor WhatsApp provided a response to requests for comment.
