Fake WhatsApp iPhone app used for spyware; about 200 people warned
WhatsApp warned about 200 people, mainly in Italy, about a spyware-laced imitation of its iPhone app. It blamed ASIGINT, part of SIO. Anyone warned should remove the imitation and install official WhatsApp; no WhatsApp security patch applies.
If WhatsApp warned you about this imitation app, remove it and install the official WhatsApp Messenger from Apple’s App Store. Use only the official app; there is no incident-specific WhatsApp patch to install.
What’s happening
On 1 April, WhatsApp disclosed a targeted surveillance campaign involving an imitation of its iPhone app. It said approximately 200 people, primarily in Italy, may have downloaded the malicious app after being deceived outside WhatsApp. WhatsApp attributed the campaign to ASIGINT, a subsidiary of Italian surveillance company SIO. It logged out the identified users, warned them and advised removing the imitation and installing official WhatsApp. The company said this did not exploit a WhatsApp vulnerability and that encryption continued to protect communications through its official apps. SIO did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. WhatsApp planned a formal legal demand to stop the activity. As of 3 November, no later confirmed outcome was found: what information was taken, whether all affected devices were cleaned and the outcome of that demand remain unconfirmed.
- What
- Scam
- Affects
- Counterfeit WhatsApp app for Apple iPhone
- Affected
- People who installed the counterfeit WhatsApp iPhone app; app and iOS version numbers were not disclosed.
- Fixed in
- Nothing to patch
- Since
- 1 Apr 2026
- Closed
- 1 Apr 2026
Timeline
- Update
WhatsApp said it had logged out the identified users, warned them and advised replacing the imitation with its official app. Its statement also announced plans for a formal legal demand that ASIGINT stop the activity.
- Made publicNothing to patch
WhatsApp disclosed a targeted campaign using a spyware-laced imitation of its iPhone app. It attributed the campaign to ASIGINT, a subsidiary of Italian surveillance company SIO; about 200 people, mainly in Italy, were identified as potentially having downloaded it.
Sources
- WhatsApp’s statement on ASIGINT, reproduced by ANSAANSA · 1 Apr 2026
- WhatsApp warns users of fake app used to distribute spywareThe Record · 1 Apr 2026
- WhatsApp says Italian surveillance company tricked around 200 users into downloading spywareReuters, via MarketScreener · 1 Apr 2026