- Updated: April 1, 2026
- 1 min read
WhatsApp Alerts Hundreds of Users to Fake iOS App Linked to Government Spyware
WhatsApp has recently warned around 200 users—most of them in Italy—about installing a counterfeit iOS version of the popular messenger that turned out to be a government‑crafted spyware tool. The malicious app, distributed via a deceptive App Store link, was created by Italian surveillance company SIO and contained the spying software known as Spyrtacus.
According to the investigation, the fake WhatsApp app was able to harvest contacts, messages, location data, and microphone input before sending the information to a remote server controlled by the authorities. Once the deception was uncovered, WhatsApp sent push notifications to the affected users, advising them to delete the app and reset their accounts.
The incident follows a series of similar operations in Europe where state actors have used repackaged popular apps to conduct covert surveillance. SIO, the firm behind the fake app, has responded by claiming the software was intended for lawful investigations and that proper legal procedures were followed.
For a full account of the story, see the original report on TechCrunch.
Read more about digital privacy and security on our site: Spyware Awareness and Privacy News.
Andrii Bidochko
CTO UBOS
Andrii Bidochko is an AI entrepreneur and researcher focused on AI agents, reinforcement learning, and autonomous systems. He writes about the technologies shaping the future of machine intelligence, from frontier models and agent architectures to real-world AI applications.