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Recent investigations by Citizen Lab reveal concerning details about Paragon Solutions, a commercial spyware vendor. Their report, titled “Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations”, exposes the company’s Graphite spyware infrastructure and its global deployments, including in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Israel, and Singapore.
Key Findings:
- Infrastructure Analysis: Paragon’s Graphite spyware servers were identified across multiple countries.
- Canadian Police Link: Evidence suggests the Ontario Provincial Police may be a Paragon customer.
- WhatsApp Zero-Click Exploit: Citizen Lab helped Meta patch an active Paragon zero-click vulnerability, notifying over 90 targeted individuals.
- Android Forensic Evidence: Italian targets had spyware installed via WhatsApp and other apps.
- iPhone Compromise Attempt: A related case in Italy involved an iPhone targeted with new spyware in June 2024.
Read the full report: Citizen Lab – Paragon Spyware
You Should Know: Spyware Detection & Mitigation Techniques
1. Detecting Spyware on Android
Use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to check for suspicious apps:
adb shell pm list packages | grep -i "paragon|spyware"
To extract app details:
adb shell dumpsys package <suspicious_package_name>
### **2. Analyzing Network Traffic**
Use **tcpdump** to monitor device traffic:
tcpdump -i any -s 0 -w spyware_traffic.pcap
Inspect with **Wireshark**:
wireshark spyware_traffic.pcap
### **3. Checking for iOS Compromises**
List installed profiles (may indicate spyware):
sudo profiles show -type enrollment
Verify system integrity:
sudo fs_usage | grep -i "paragon|spyware"
### **4. Windows Forensic Analysis**
Check for unusual processes:
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.Company -match "Paragon" }
Analyze autorun entries:
Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | Select-Object Name, Command, Location
### **5. Blocking Spyware Domains**
Add known Paragon C2 servers to **/etc/hosts**:
echo "0.0.0.0 paragon-spyware.com" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts
Use **iptables** to block outgoing connections:
sudo iptables -A OUTPUT -d <malicious_IP> -j DROP
## **What Undercode Say**
Commercial spyware like Paragon’s Graphite poses severe privacy risks. Proactive measures—such as traffic analysis, forensic checks, and blocking malicious domains—are essential. Governments and enterprises must enforce stricter regulations on spyware vendors. Meanwhile, individuals should:
– Disable unnecessary app permissions
– Monitor network traffic
– Use encrypted messaging (Signal over WhatsApp)
– Regularly audit device processes
### **Expected Output:**
- A detailed spyware analysis report.
- Forensic commands for Android, iOS, and Windows.
- Network monitoring and mitigation steps.
- Recommendations for preventing spyware infections.
References:
Reported By: Mthomasson Very – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
