WhatsApp Alerts 200 Users After Fake iOS App Installed Spyware; Italian Firm Faces Action
The Hacker News • • technology
Key Points:
- WhatsApp alerted around 200 users, mainly in Italy, who were tricked into installing a fake iOS app infected with spyware, and has logged them out while advising them to reinstall the official app.
- The spyware was linked to Asigint, an Italian subsidiary of SIO, a company that markets surveillance tools to law enforcement and intelligence agencies, with previous reports connecting SIO to malicious apps targeting Italian users.
- Italy has become a hub for spyware companies, including SIO and others like Cy4Gate and RCS Lab, which sell surveillance technology to governments and agencies.
- The spyware issue is part of a broader European context, with recent legal actions such as the Greek court sentencing of Intellexa Consortium members for illegal spyware use, and Spain's investigation into NSO Group's Pegasus spyware.
- Surveillance firms like Intellexa and NSO Group claim their tools are used solely by governments for legitimate security purposes, emphasizing the importance of responsible use to enhance global safety.
