Fake WhatsApp app for iPhone carried spyware

What happened

WhatsApp said it notified about 200 users, mainly in Italy, who had been tricked into installing a fake WhatsApp for iPhone that carried spyware. It logged them out and urged them to delete the fake app and install the official one.

WhatsApp says its own app was not breached and its end-to-end encryption still holds.

What was found

WhatsApp accuses ASIGINT, a subsidiary of the Italian spyware maker SIO, of building the fake app. SIO did not respond, and the claim has not been independently confirmed. The reports do not say where the app was downloaded from or what data the spyware could reach.

Data at risk

• Not disclosed by WhatsApp

What you should do

1. 1If you installed it, delete the fake app and install the official WhatsApp.
2. 2Install messaging apps only from the App Store.