The Meta-owned platform said on Monday that it had uncovered and stopped a series of spear-phishing attempts linked to NSO after receiving reports from users.

According to WhatsApp, the attackers tried to lure targets into clicking malicious links that directed them to websites outside the app.

“They tried to trick people into clicking on malicious links to drive them to external websites outside of WhatsApp,” the company wrote. “We also caught them creating test accounts and groups on WhatsApp, which we took down.”

WhatsApp said the operation shared similarities with another campaign uncovered in Jordan in 2024. In that case, victims who clicked malicious links were infected with Pegasus, NSO Group’s spyware.

Following its latest findings, Meta has asked a US federal court to hold NSO in contempt, arguing that the company breached a permanent injunction issued during a long-running case between both firms.

The court order stemmed from a 2019 hacking campaign in which more than 1,400 WhatsApp users were targeted through the platform. After discovering the breach, WhatsApp alerted affected users and filed a lawsuit against NSO.

A jury later ordered the spyware maker to pay $167 million in damages. That amount was subsequently reduced to $4 million.

The latest court filing is another chapter in an issue that has lasted several years and drawn attention to the high use of commercial spyware around the world.

NSO Group has been repeatedly cautioned over Pegasus, a surveillance tool capable of infiltrating mobile devices through so-called “zero-click” and “one-click” attacks. 

Investigations by journalists, security researchers and technology companies have linked the spyware to operations targeting journalists, activists, dissidents, human rights defenders and political opponents in several countries.

WhatsApp said it has continually exposed suspected spyware campaigns, notified victims and strengthened protections for users who may face a higher risk of digital surveillance.

Other technology companies, including Apple and Google, have also introduced additional security measures designed to help protect users from advanced spyware attacks.

Meta’s latest legal action has attracted support from civil society groups. A coalition of 12 civil rights organisations, privacy advocates and security researchers has filed court briefs backing the company’s position and urging the court to maintain pressure on NSO.

The spyware maker is also still under pressure from the US government. NSO is still listed on the US Commerce Department’s Entity List, a designation that restricts its access to American technology.

Washington has imposed similar measures on other spyware firms, including Intellexa and its founder.

In 2025, a group of US investors acquired NSO and began efforts to rebuild the company’s reputation while seeking the removal of US restrictions. However, the company remains on the Commerce Department blocklist.

The NSO Group did not respond to requests for comment on the latest allegations from WhatsApp.

The post WhatsApp Accuses NSO Group of New Spyware-Linked Attacks, Seeks Court Sanctions appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

A detailed review by cybersecurity firm Surfshark reveals that five major social media platforms, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter), have together gotten fines amounting to €3.9 billion. Meta alone is responsible for nearly 70% of that figure.

The most eye-opening fine came in 2022, when Instagram was ordered to pay €405 million. The offence? Automatically setting business accounts created by children to public, exposing sensitive information without consent. 

Then came another blow in late 2024, Facebook was fined €251 million following a data breach that compromised the personal data of minors. These incidents make Meta the most penalised company under the GDPR framework.

TikTok hasn’t escaped this either. Its failure to properly handle children’s data has led to three separate fines, with the most recent one issued this year. 

Together, these penalties total €890 million. The platform allowed underage accounts to default to public failed to provide privacy policies in local languages like Dutch, and permitted adults to falsely register as legal guardians, without verifying their authority to do so.

LinkedIn and X have each received single fines, €310 million and €450,000 respectively. Platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, and Threads have so far avoided penalties, but experts caution that this is not necessarily evidence of full compliance.

“The current enforcement efforts by data protection authorities are rather reactive, sometimes they are non-existent at all,” said Felix Mikolasch, a data protection lawyer at NOYB, a European privacy advocacy group. 

Over one-third of all GDPR fines issued to social platforms relate specifically to mishandling children’s data.

We see that the European Union is stepping up its enforcement of GDPR rules, particularly as digital platforms increasingly target younger audiences and collect vast amounts of personal information. 

Since Surfshark’s last report in October 2023, there has been a 30% jump in the total value of fines, driven by four new cases, two linked to Meta, one to LinkedIn, and another to TikTok.

Meanwhile, here in Nigeria, social media companies including Meta and TikTok operate freely, despite evidence of similar data practices. No major fines have been announced. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has opted for a softer, compliance-first approach.

“Usually, when we investigate and find a breach, if they are ready to comply with the law, what is the point of making noise?” said the NDPC’s National Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji. “It’s only when an organisation is unwilling to comply with the law that we are forced to impose sanctions.”

Dr. Olatunji added that the Commission also considers the economic impact. Penalising foreign tech companies could send the wrong signals to investors. 

That rationale might explain why, despite operating under Nigeria’s Data Protection Act, which mirrors many of GDPR’s core principles, no social media platform has yet been held publicly accountable for breaches.

This raises a fundamental question which says can a model based on dialogue and remediation work where enforcement by example has already proven effective elsewhere?

Europe’s approach is that any company that breaks the rules pays the price. Nigeria’s model, however, leans heavily on trust, hoping compliance will come without punishment. 

The post Meta Tops EU List for Child Data Violations, Fined €2.7 Billion Under GDPR appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Malicious apps, designed to look like everyday tools, have been quietly spying on activists, minority groups, and critics of the Chinese government.

This isn’t the typical data breach story we are used to. It’s deeper. Covert. Targeted. And deliberate.

In a joint advisory issued on Tuesday, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), backed by GCHQ, revealed that two spyware software—BadBazaar and Moonshine—have been embedded inside Android apps that appear safe. 

These apps were carefully built to mirror popular tools like Telegram, WhatsApp, Adobe Acrobat, and even religious apps designed for Muslims and Buddhists.

These digital decoys were more than just annoying malware. They turned phones into portable surveillance devices—recording conversations, tracking movements, stealing photos, and reading private messages. And all of it happening without the user’s knowledge.

The spyware wasn’t scattered randomly across app stores. It had a purpose and targets.

The reports say the apps were used to zero in on Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans, Taiwanese independence activists, and supporters of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and the Falun Gong spiritual group. Most of the targets live outside China, but their work or beliefs are seen by Beijing as threats to national stability.

Let’s not sugar-coat it—this is state-level digital stalking.

“These apps specifically target individuals internationally who are connected to topics that are considered by the Chinese state to pose a threat to its stability, with some designed to appeal directly to victims or imitate popular apps,” the NCSC stated.

The two spyware families seen on android apps have been previously dissected by cybersecurity outfits like Trend Micro, Lookout, and Volexity, as well as Citizen Lab, a nonprofit watchdog that has long tracked Chinese cyber activity.

BadBazaar, for instance, is known to have disguised itself as encrypted messengers and file-sharing apps. Moonshine, on the other hand, reportedly posed as a custom-built suite of tools tailored for certain targets, including Tibetans.

In total, over 100 Android apps were identified. The decoys included everything from prayer apps and language learning tools to document readers and chat platforms. One iOS app, TibetOne, even made its way to Apple’s App Store back in 2021.

Google and Apple have yet to comment publicly on whether the listed apps have been removed or how many users might have been affected.

The advisory reiterates that the tools we trust to communicate and organise can be twisted into weapons of surveillance.

The post UK, Allies Expose Spyware Masquerading as Android Apps appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.