WhatsApp fake app spyware has triggered a fresh security scare for smartphone users in Europe, especially in Italy.
Meta, which owns WhatsApp, says its security team recently found a counterfeit version of the messaging app that secretly installed spyware on the phones of around 200 people, most of them in Italy.
The company has logged those users out of their accounts, advised them to delete the WhatsApp fake app spyware, and told them to reinstall the official client from trusted stores.
According to statements given to Italian news agency ANSA and other outlets, the WhatsApp fake app spyware was built by Asigint, a subsidiary of Italian surveillance firm SIO Spa, which develops interception tools for governments and law-enforcement agencies. Meta believes attackers used social engineering, persuading a limited number of Android and iPhone users to sideload an unofficial app that imitated WhatsApp.
The malicious client was reportedly distributed outside official stores such as Apple's App Store and Google Play, making it harder for ordinary users to spot. Once installed, the WhatsApp fake app spyware could potentially grant operators access to messages, private data and device functions, without the protection of end-to-end encryption found in the real app.
Meta has stressed that the WhatsApp fake app spyware did not exploit any vulnerability in WhatsApp itself, and that communications on the official apps remain protected by end-to-end encryption. "It is important to clarify that this was not a vulnerability in WhatsApp; end-to-end encryption continues to protect the communications of people using the official WhatsApp apps," the company said, according to Italian media.
The firm says it plans to send a formal legal notice to Asigint and SIO, demanding they cease any harmful activity linked to the WhatsApp fake app spyware. It is also urging users, particularly in the EU, to download WhatsApp only from vetted platforms and to be wary of links or messages pushing modified or "enhanced" versions of the app.
The WhatsApp fake app spyware incident underlines how even widely trusted services can be abused through convincing clones and targeted social-engineering tricks. For everyday users, the most effective defence is simple but strict: avoid sideloading, stick to official app stores, and treat unsolicited download links with suspicion, even when they appear to promise extra features for WhatsApp.