MEDIUMVulnerability
Global

WhatsApp Alerts 200 Users After Fake iOS App Installed Spyware; Italian Firm Faces Action

Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 09:51 AM UTC·Source: The Hacker News

Updated: Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 04:49 PM UTC

Executive Summary

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp said it alerted about 200 users who were tricked into installing a bogus version of its iOS app that was infected with spyware. According to reports from Italian newspaper La Repubblica and news agency ANSA, the vast majority of the targets are located in Italy. It's assessed that the threat actors behind the activity used social engineering

Analysis

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp said it alerted about 200 users who were tricked into installing a bogus version of its iOS app that was infected with spyware. According to reports from Italian newspaper La Repubblica and news agency ANSA, the vast majority of the targets are located in Italy. It's assessed that the threat actors behind the activity used social engineering
Source Attribution

Originally published by The Hacker News on Apr 2, 2026.

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