A WhatsApp official stated on Friday that the Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions targeted dozens of users, including journalists and members of civil society.
The official added that WhatsApp, owned by Meta, sent a letter to Paragon following the breach, requesting they cease such activities.
In a statement, WhatsApp said it "will continue to defend the ability to communicate privately.
Paragon declined to comment.
The WhatsApp official told Reuters that the company detected an attempted breach targeting around 90 users on its platform.
The official refrained from identifying the targets or their locations, stating only that the targets included an unspecified number of civil society and media figures. He added that WhatsApp has since "disrupted" the infiltration attempt.
The official did not discuss how WhatsApp confirmed that Paragon was responsible for the breach. He mentioned that law enforcement and "industry partners" were informed about the breach but did not provide further details.