WhatsApp says a spyware company targeted journalists and civilians

 Around 90 users of Meta’s chat service WhatsApp are suspected to have been targets of a spyware campaign conducted by an Israeli spyware company called Paragon Solutions, a WhatsApp spokesperson told NBC News.

The spokesperson said that the attack targeted a number of users including journalists and members of civil society “across over two dozen countries, particularly in Europe.” They added that Paragon Solutions has used a vector, a method to illegally access a network, to target the users and that “the vector involved using groups and sending a malicious PDF file.” The spokesperson added that the company has “successfully disrupted this exploitation vector.”

WhatsApp has sent Paragon Solutions a cease-and-desist letter following the series of attempted attacks. The spokesperson said that those believed to be affected have been notified through WhatsApp chat and have been provided information on how to protect themselves from spyware. Paragon Solutions did not reply to an immediate request for comment.

“These attackers look for vulnerabilities in apps or the mobile phone operating system or try to trick users into clicking on malicious links or downloading malware — all to gain unauthorized access that can damage your phone, steal your information and put your privacy and security at risk,” a WhatsApp help page on spyware reads.

Francesco Cancellato, the editor-in-chief of the Italian online newspaper Fanpage.it, published an article revealing that he was one of the journalists who was targeted by the attack. In the message that WhatsApp sent to Cancellato notifying him that he might have been affected, the chat service said that it had stopped the attack in December.

The spokesperson said that the company’s security team and Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity research lab based out of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, helped track the spyware campaign.

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, told NBC News that a hack such as this one has the ability to “turn a telephone into a spy in your pocket.”

“When a phone is infected, the operator of that spyware can typically do anything that you as a user can do on the phone,” Scott-Railton said. “They can access your encrypted messages, your chats, look at your photographs, browse your messages, listen to your voice memos, look at your notes, read your contacts, get your passwords, and also do some number of things that you can’t do, like silently activating the microphone to listen to a conversation you might be having in a room, or turning on the camera.”

WhatsApp worked with Citizen Lab in 2019 when the chat service sued the Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, accusing it of aiding government spies to hack the phones of over a thousand users, including journalists, diplomats, senior government officials and political dissidents. In December, a U.S. judge ruled in favor of WhatsApp. That same month, the Florida-based investment group AE Industrial Partners, a competitor to NSO Group, acquired Paragon Solutions. It is still believed that Paragon Solutions operates in Israel.

Natalia Krapiva, senior tech-legal counsel at the internet access nonprofit Access Now, says that the nonprofit’s research has found that these attacks on “journalists and other civil society actors are becoming common.”

“Last time WhatsApp notified NSO victims in 2019, we have seen a flood of lawsuits, sanctions, and other consequences for this industry,” Krapiva said. “But we need more action by lawmakers and the tech sector to reign in the industry as it obviously cannot police itself.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs taken to hospital under cover of darkness

 

Sean 'Diddy' Combs was reportedly rushed to hospital in the middle of the night from his prison cell, according to insiders.

The 55-year-old rapper was said to have been transported from Metropolitan Detention Center to Brooklyn Hospital to undergo an MRI scan, at about 10pm on Thursday.

Diddy, who is awaiting trial for numerous sex crimes, was reportedly rushed to the hospital after complaining of severe pain.

A source told New York Post that the medical scan was authorised because the music mogul's “knee was bothering him". It reportedly follows an old injury he suffered with after running the New York marathon.

Combs did not stay overnight and was taken back to his cell after the MRI concluded, the source said. They added that the hospital visit occured in the evening hours in order to avoid whispers and further speculation from other inmates or prison staffers.

A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson told the press: “For privacy, safety, and security reasons we do not comment on the conditions of confinement for anyone in our custody to include medical status or medical trips.”

Diddy has been locked up in jail since he was arrested last year on sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution charges. He's been denied bail multiple times. 

The musician, who is set to go to trial on May 5, has vehemently denied all of the allegations since they first came to light.

As well as the criminal charges he is facing, Combs has been sued by several people who have brought civil actions claiming he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse, including his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie.

What is Lev Tahor, the Jewish cult in the spotlight for child trafficking?

 

Earlier this week, Guatemalan authorities, in coordination with Interpol, arrested Yoel Alter, a 35-year-old senior figure in the controversial Jewish sect Lev Tahor.

Alter, wearing the group’s signature brown cloak, was detained outside a government-run centre for minors in Guatemala City.

He was wanted in Mexico for human trafficking and is expected to be extradited soon.

The arrest comes amid a deepening crisis involving Lev Tahor in Guatemala.

Authorities have taken at least 148 children into protective custody after separating them from their parents, who are accused of severe abuse, including rape, according to prosecutors.

The operation carried out in Oratorio, a rural area about 78 kilometres southeast of Guatemala City, has renewed concerns over the group’s practices, which have been linked to similar accusations in the past.

“Based on the statements of the complainants, the evidence obtained, and the medical examinations, it was possible to establish that there are forms of human trafficking against these minors, such as forced marriage, abuse, and related crimes,” said Nancy Paiz, a prosecutor with Guatemala’s Office Against Human Trafficking.

The children remain under government protection while investigations continue.

Authorities also allege that some of the group’s young mothers deliberately starved their children under orders from Lev Tahor leaders to pressure the government.

Alter is the second Lev Tahor member arrested in Central America this month.

Earlier, Jonathan Emmanuel Cardona Castillo, who had been on the run after facing child abuse and rape charges, was captured.

In December, Guatemalan police raided the sect’s compound in Santa Rosa, rescuing 160 minors and 40 women.

What is Lev Tahor?

Lev Tahor is an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect widely described as a cult due to reports of child abuse, rape, forced marriages, and human trafficking.

It was founded in the 1980s by Shlomo Helbrans in Israel but later moved to the US, Canada, and eventually to Latin America to avoid law enforcement.

The sect imposes strict control over its members, limiting their education, interactions with outsiders, and even arranging marriages, some involving minors.

Many former members describe the group as highly manipulative, making it difficult for people to leave.

Reports have surfaced of children being trafficked across borders for illegal marriages, while several of the group’s leaders have been arrested or investigated for crimes ranging from child endangerment to sex trafficking.

Lev Tahor has repeatedly moved locations to escape legal scrutiny, shifting from Canada to Guatemala, then Mexico, and beyond.

In 2022, Mexican authorities raided a Lev Tahor camp in Chiapas, near the Guatemalan border, rescuing children and teenagers from conditions of abuse.

The Jewish Community of Guatemala has distanced itself from Lev Tahor, stating that the sect is not connected to its organisation. In a statement, it expressed support for Guatemalan authorities in investigating the group “to protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk.”

The organisation also called on the “government and diplomatic corps of countries from whose nationalities make up members of Lev Tahor to join forces to protect those whose rights may be violated.”

Guatemala cracks down on Israeli Jewish sect Lev Tahor as child trafficking probe widens

 

Guatemalan authorities have intensified their investigation into Lev Tahor, a controversial Jewish sect accused of human trafficking and child abuse, following the arrest of one of its senior members, according to press reports.

Yoel Alter, 35, was detained earlier this week outside a government-run center for minors in Guatemala City, according to the TRT World.

The arrest was carried out in coordination with Interpol, and authorities confirmed that he is wanted in Mexico for human trafficking. He is expected to be extradited soon.

The crackdown follows a major operation in Oratorio, southeast of Guatemala City, where authorities separated 148 children from their parents, citing severe abuse, including rape.

The children remain in protective custody while investigations continue.

“Based on the statements of the complainants, the evidence obtained, and the medical examinations, it was possible to establish that there are forms of human trafficking against these minors, such as forced marriage, abuse, and related crimes,” said Nancy Paiz, a prosecutor with Guatemala’s Office Against Human Trafficking.

Authorities also accuse some of the group’s young mothers of deliberately starving their children under orders from Lev Tahor leaders to pressure the government.  

Lev Tahor under global scrutiny

Founded in the 1980s in Israel, Lev Tahor has moved between countries, including the US, Canada, and Latin America, in an effort to evade law enforcement.

The sect has been accused of child marriages, trafficking, and abuse, with several leaders arrested in recent years.

The Jewish Community of Guatemala has distanced itself from Lev Tahor, supporting authorities in their efforts to “protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups.”

Investigations into the sect’s activities are underway.

Series of antisemitic vandalism in Australia amid wave of Jew-hatred

 

In both east to west, Australia was struck with a series of antisemitic graffiti over the weekend.

In Bondi, a suburb of Sydney, Jewish women were egged on Saturday night, with the perpetrators fleeing in their vehicle. In other suburbs of Sydney, residents woke up on Sunday to find their property was defaced with messages such as "f*ck Jews."

"Can I just say to those individuals that were in that car last night, it might be best if you come forward straight away, because we will track you down," Superintendent Darren Newman said.

Similar messages were spray-painted in a Perth suburb, on the western coast of Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come under fire for the continued antisemitic attacks in recent months, despite an attack being thwarted in Sydney last week.

New South Wales police said 10 people were arrested in the past week and a half. 

"The epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked. We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease," said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

POLICE INVESTIGATING ISRAELI BABY TRAFFICKING CASE INVOLVING RABBI'S WIFE