- By Prateek Levi
- Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:16 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Only recently Meta had announced a few tools that protect the users from scams and fraud protection for its popularly used WhatsApp messenger. This also included a device linkage warning system that would alert the users in case a fraud tries to take control of the victim's account. But as technology gets advanced, so do the bad actors with it, and they have come up with innovative ways to trick users using spyware tech. Meta on Wednesday issued a statement warning its users about a fake WhatsApp app, which was apparently spying on the users, with its main epicentre in Italy, a report stated. Almost 200 android and iPhone users have been targeted by the spyware so far.
Spyware Alert
Meta has flagged a serious concern around a fake version of WhatsApp that was reportedly used to spy on a small set of users, mainly in Italy. In a statement shared with ANSA, the company said nearly 200 Android and iPhone users may have been impacted. It has since disconnected the affected accounts and notified those users about the potential privacy and security risks.
What makes this case interesting is the method used. The report suggests the fake app was developed by Asigint, a company linked to Italy’s Sio Spa Group. Instead of exploiting any technical flaw, the attackers relied on social engineering to trick a “limited number of users” into downloading the spyware by passing it off as the official WhatsApp app. Once installed, this could have allowed remote access to user accounts and devices. Meta is also said to be planning a formal warning to the Sio Spa-controlled firm “to cease any malicious activity”.
Separately, a report by La Repubblica notes that Meta maintains the spyware does not target any inherent weaknesses within WhatsApp itself. The company has emphasised that its official apps, infrastructure, and encryption remain secure and that it is not “experiencing a breach of WhatsApp's official apps, infrastructure, or encryption”.
Not just this, but the spyware potentially gave access to a user's chat with others. Now this fake version is not end-to-end encrypted like real WhatsApp, and a device with encryption keys can decode the chats between two users. This in turn poses a bigger privacy risk as users stand to lose important confidential information that could be anything from a bank account to their address.
Apple allowed side loading of third-party marketplaces in 2024 according to the EU's Digital Market Act, and this was done in 27 EU countries. This option is available to Android users globally already. However, the EU, under the ambit of the DMA act, stated that both tech giants Apple and Google have established a monopoly by only giving users the option to go for the App Store and Play Store, respectively.