WhatsApp catches Italian firm SIO using a fake version of its app to spy on roughly 200 users

WhatsApp said Italian surveillance company ASIGINT, a subsidiary of SIO, tricked roughly 200 users into downloading a counterfeit version of the app rigged with spyware in a campaign the Meta-owned service described as highly targeted and aimed primarily at users in Italy. SIO markets itself as a provider of cyber intelligence solutions to law enforcement agencies, government organizations, and intelligence agencies, though the company did not respond to a request for comment. The incident marks the second time in 15 months that Meta has publicly disrupted spyware activity tied to Italy, following the exposure in early 2025 of a separate surveillance operation using spyware from U.S.-owned firm Paragon, which Italy has since cut ties with.