WhatsApp has discovered a fake version of its software, built, according to the firm, by an Italian spyware company and used to infect the smartphones of some users. The messaging platform, owned by the Meta group, reported the discovery, stating that it had identified roughly 200 people, predominantly in Italy, who may have downloaded the malware. The impacted individuals had apparently already been logged out and informed about potential privacy and security threats. According to WhatsApp, this was not an inherent flaw in the actual program, but rather a social engineering effort aimed at convincing consumers to install a fraudulent software presented as WhatsApp. The purpose, according to initial reports, was to get access to the victims' devices. The business highlighted that the official versions of the app continue to use end-to-end encryption to protect conversations, and that the event did not affect the service's original infrastructure. Meta also stated that it intends to submit a formal notice to the business thought to be responsible for constructing the false client, demanding that any hostile action cease immediately.