iWorld
Airtel names Aritra Mukherjee head of marketing
Former Vodafone executive to lead Airtel’s marketing push
PUNE: Bharti Airtel has elevated Aritra Mukherjee to head of marketing, promoting an internal leader who has played a key role in expanding the company’s prepaid business over the past four years.
Mukherjee, based in Pune, most recently served as general manager – prepaid growth, where he was instrumental in driving portfolio expansion, sharpening consumer strategy and supporting revenue growth. He joined Airtel as senior manager – business planning and consumer insights and rose through the ranks as the company strengthened its data-led approach to customer acquisition and retention.
Before joining Airtel, Mukherjee held marketing roles at Vodafone Idea and Vodafone, and earlier worked with Idea Cellular. His career also includes stints at Capgemini and Tata Consultancy Services.
With experience spanning telecom marketing, prepaid growth strategy, enterprise accounts and business planning, Mukherjee brings a blend of analytics-driven insight and commercial leadership to Airtel’s top marketing role, as competition intensifies across India’s telecom market.
iWorld
Meta warns 200 users after fake Whatsapp spyware attack
Italy-targeted campaign used unofficial app to deploy surveillance spyware.
MUMBAI: It looked like a message, but it behaved like a mole. Meta has warned around 200 users most of them in Italy after uncovering a targeted spyware campaign that weaponised a fake version of WhatsApp to infiltrate devices. The attack, first reported by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, relied on classic social engineering with a modern twist: persuading users to download an unofficial WhatsApp clone embedded with surveillance software. The malicious application, believed to be developed by Italian firm SIO through its subsidiary ASIGINT, was designed to mimic the real app closely enough to bypass suspicion.
Meta’s security teams identified roughly 200 individuals who may have installed the compromised version, triggering immediate countermeasures. Affected users were logged out of their accounts and issued alerts warning of potential privacy breaches, with the company describing the incident as a “targeted social engineering attempt” aimed at gaining device-level access.
The malicious app was not distributed via official app stores but circulated through third-party channels, where it was presented as a legitimate WhatsApp alternative. Once installed, it reportedly allowed external operators to access sensitive data stored on the device turning a simple download into a potential surveillance gateway.
According to Techcrunch, Meta is now preparing legal action against the spyware developers to curb further misuse. The company, however, has not disclosed details about the specific individuals targeted or the extent of data compromised.
A Whatsapp spokesperson reiterated that user safety remains the top priority, particularly for those misled into installing the fake iOS application. Meanwhile, reports from La Repubblica suggest the spyware may be linked to “Spyrtacus”, a strain previously associated with Android-based attacks that could intercept calls, activate microphones and even access cameras.
The episode underscores a growing reality in the digital age, the threat is no longer just what you download, but where you download it from. As unofficial apps become increasingly convincing, the line between communication tool and covert surveillance is getting harder to spot and far easier to exploit.
