ISLAMABAD: Two cyber espionage groups, with likely links to Indian and Pakistani governments, have been spying on people after convincing them to download bogus apps that masquerade as popular messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, said an American business magazine while quoting a Facebook report.
Cybersecurity has become a major concern for governments, corporate entities and individuals across the world amid their growing reliance on information and communication technologies.
Earlier this year, media reports mentioned Pegasus malware designed by an Israeli surveillance firm which was used to target global leaders, including senior European Union officials.
“Facebook says the malware can siphon off all kinds of information from an Android device, including call logs, contacts, files, text messages and geolocation data,” Forbes said in a news report. “It can also access a device’s camera and microphone.”
The publication noted that cyber espionage groups, Bitter APT and APT36, had been targeting people in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, China and New Zealand, among other countries.
“Previously, Forbes reporting found links between Bitter APT and the Indian government, after the group had acquired an American company’s Microsoft Windows hacking tools,” it continued.
The magazine added: “Facebook also announced action on a Pakistan-based government hacking unit known as APT36. It, too, was creating Android spy tools masquerading as apps including WhatsApp, Chinese social network WeChat and YouTube.”
Forbes said Facebook had “identified 10,000 users across at least nine countries that may have been targeted by APT36 and Bitter APT.”
The report added the social media giant was also in the process of warning users directly on Facebook and Instagram against the threat.
“If we think that you might have come into any contact with any of these groups, we want to alert you and we want to tell you the tools that you can use to secure your online presence,” Mike Dvilyanski, Facebook’s head of cyber espionage investigations, told Forbes.
The magazine also maintained it was likely that Android was not the only target of the cyber espionage groups.
“Facebook also saw ... fake personas distributing links to downloads of an iPhone chat application,” it said, adding: “The company reported its findings to Apple.”
Forbes said it tried to contact Indian and Pakistani officials who did not respond to requests for comment.
Facebook says cyber espionage groups from India, Pakistan snooping on thousands
https://arab.news/4yjj4
Facebook says cyber espionage groups from India, Pakistan snooping on thousands
- Two groups, with likely links to Indian and Pakistani governments, use bogus messaging apps to steal data
- Android users are said to be particularly vulnerable, though Apple enthusiasts are not entirely immune to the risk
Pakistan alarmed as Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, calls for immediate ceasefire
- Pakistan envoy urges both sides to resolve ongoing conflict through peaceful means during Security Council briefing
- Russia last Friday fired hypersonic ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead at Ukraine, drawing criticism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmad this week expressed alarm as the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, calling for an immediate ceasefire and demanding both countries resolve their issues peacefully through dialogue.
The development takes place days after Russia last week fired an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at Ukraine called Oreshnik. The move drew sharp criticism as the missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads. Russia said it fired the Oreshnik in response to what Moscow says was an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Dec. 29 against one of Putin’s residences in northern Russia. Ukraine denies Moscow’s claims.
February 2026 will mark four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
“We are alarmed by the recent intensification in fighting with escalation in attacks from both sides, further worsening the already dire humanitarian situation,” Ahmad said on Monday during a UN Security Council briefing on the Ukraine conflict.
“Such actions not only perpetuate the conflict, but they also undermine trust, and the ongoing efforts for peace.”
The Pakistani envoy urged both sides to abide by the principles of international law and ensure civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected during the conflict. He said Pakistan’s position on resolving the issue through dialogue has not changed.
“Now, more than ever before, the overwhelming global opinion is on the side of ending this conflict through peaceful means,” Ahmad said. “This can only be achieved through a sustained, meaningful and structured dialogue.”
US President Donald Trump has been pushing both sides to strike a deal to halt the conflict, running shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a bid to get an agreement across the line. Plans to broker peace collapsed after an initial 28-point plan, which largely adhered to Moscow’s demands, was criticized by Kyiv and Europe.
Ahmad appreciated the US for attempting to resolve the conflict through peaceful means.
“We hope that all sides would make full use of the ongoing diplomacy, demonstrate genuine political will, and engage constructively to make meaningful strides toward a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict, starting with an immediate ceasefire,” he said.
