iWorld
Anisha Mehta joins JioStar as senior director, ecosystem partnerships
Former Pocket FM and Amazon executive to drive partnership-led growth
MUMBAI: JioStar has appointed Anisha Mehta as senior director, ecosystem partnerships, strengthening its leadership bench as it sharpens its focus on alliance-led growth.
In her new role, Mehta will be responsible for building strategic partnerships, deepening content ecosystems and driving collaboration-led initiatives across JioStar’s platforms.
She joins from Pocket FM, where she led global partnerships, overseeing content acquisition and optimising the digital supply chain across international markets. Before that, Mehta managed digital supply chain operations for subscription video-on-demand and miniTV at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
Earlier in her career, she served as partnerships and monetisation lead at Xiaomi Technology, playing a key role in launching the company’s television business in India. She has also held leadership roles at HolidayIQ, Deccan Herald and Bennett Coleman & Co Limited.
The appointment underscores JioStar’s intent to strengthen its partner ecosystem at a time when content distribution, device integration and platform collaboration are becoming central to scale and differentiation in India’s crowded digital media 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.
