iWorld
Loco becomes the first Indian streaming platform to broadcast FIFA Pinnacle events
Mumbai: Game streaming platform Loco on Friday has signed a broadcast agreement with FIFA, football’s international governing body to bring the centrepiece of the FIFA esports experience – FIFAe World Cup 2022, FIFAe Club World Cup 2022 and FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 to fans across India.
Loco becomes the first and only Indian based game streaming platform to team up with FIFAe. It will localise the streams and broadcast the live streams for the three tournaments, which are set to be aired between 14 and 30 July.
Loco has also recently signed exclusive streaming deals with other top publishers and game titles in the country, as well as international entrants to the Indian market, holding its position strong as the country’s leading game streaming platform.
Commenting on the collaboration, Loco founders Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh said, “eSports has become the most watched category in India, after Indian cricket, and we are really happy to partner with one of the most prestigious organisations in the world, FIFA, to bring together an innovative new category of esports, FIFAe. It is a landmark year because we have the Indian team competing in the FIFAe Nations Cup and we hope they will inspire a generation of new gamers! Loco has broken viewership records with many popular game titles with innovative categories finding a suitable home on the platform, we are confident that we will provide fans an unforgettable experience with FIFAe.”
In June 2022, history was made when India qualified for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022. This achievement by the Indian eFootball team of Charanjot Singh, Siddh Chandarana and Saransh Jain, who led India as the country beat Korea Republic and Malaysia in the playoffs, has led to massive excitement both among FIFA fans as well as the wider esports community in the country. To further accelerate awareness in the Indian gaming community and with fans beyond the existing FIFAe community, Loco will be hosting multiple watch parties with the country’s top game streamers.
The current season of FIFAe, will aggregate all FIFAe competitions under one event, while preserving their respective identities. The three-week long FIFAe finals that kicked-off from 14 July, will go on till 17 July, with the FIFAe World Cup which focuses on the best individual players from across the globe. The qualifiers will battle it out for ultimate fame, and the world’s biggest individual prize in FIFA esports – a whopping prize pool of four crore rupees.
The second tournament commencing from 20-23 July, will host the FIFAe Club World Cup, which brings together the best clubs in the world to showcase their game-play and compete before a global audience, for a prize pool of Rs 2.4 crore.
This year’s events will close with the prestigious FIFAe Nations Cup, which will run from 27-30 July. Teams will represent their nation and compete against each other for a total prize pool of Rs 3.2 crore.
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.
