A new spyware campaign has reportedly compromised around 90 individuals in Italy, including journalists and civil society members, by using highly advanced surveillance tools that could spy, steal information, and install malicious exploits without detection.
According to reports, the latest threat specifically targets iPhone and Mac users, with WhatsApp itself sending direct notifications to the users who are already affected and warning them about the severity of the attack. The finding has raised concerns among cybersecurity experts who point to the growing scale and complexity of spyware campaigns.
Apple has already acknowledged such incidents, and those have been officially described as extremely sophisticated attacks targeting specific people. However, the tech giant does not reveal any information about the victims, the source of the malware, or the intention behind such campaigns, and many questions remain unclear.
Apple and WhatsApp took quick action and released immediate security patches to secure millions of users worldwide. It is also much more dangerous than conventional malware because this spyware can infect a device just by receiving or clicking on a malicious message. WhatsApp has also warned that hackers could access sensitive information (personal messages, photos, and device data).
The use of spyware like Pegasus has already shown how effective such surveillance software can be in modern cyber warfare. As billions of people use WhatsApp to communicate, these threats present serious risks to the privacy and security of the world. While Meta and WhatsApp are taking active steps, experts warn that zero-day exploits are extremely difficult to avoid.
A lot of these spyware activities remain unknown, and it is difficult to assess their full scale and their influence on the world. Experts in the field of cybersecurity note that the only way to ensure that high-profile individuals are not targeted is to have effective monitoring systems, powerful detection tools, and international collaboration.
