iWorld
MX Player’s ‘Ek Badnaam…Aashram 3’ fastest growing show on Indian OTT; gets 100 mn views
Mumbai: MX Original series Ek Badnaam… Aashram 3, produced and directed by industry stalwart Prakash Jha, has been breaking records since its release. The series has been a huge success. The first two seasons of the show were hugely popular among viewers, which made it probably the most-watched television show on Indian OTT. However, the recent third season, Ek Badnaam…Aashram 3, has been equally successful in entering the 100 million viewership club within just 32 hours of its release, becoming the fastest-growing show on Indian OTT so far.
With each passing season, the series appears to be setting new standards. Aashram’s first two seasons had a total viewership of around 160 million unique users. In addition, within six hours of the season three trailer’s release, the show was trending at number one on YouTube in India. Season three has received unprecedented love and appreciation from audiences. Since its release on 3 June 2022, the plot and characters have been the talk of the town.
The series features an ensemble cast comprising Bobby Deol, Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupriya Goenka, Esha Gupta, Sachin Shroff, Adhyayan Suman, Tridha Choudhury, Vikram Kochhar, Anuritta K Jha, Rushad Rana, Tanmaay Ranjan, Preeti Sood, Rajeev Siddhartha and Jaya Seal Ghosh.
Aashram is a show that highlights the life of a megalomaniac Baba Nirala. In this season, Kashipur Waale Baba Nirala has become fearless and his lust for power has been accentuated, making him unstoppable. He believes to be above all and thinks he’s God. The power of aashram is at its peak. This badnaam aashram continues to exploit women, and indulge in drugs and illegal activities to gain power and position in society. On the other hand, Pammi is having sleepless nights to seek revenge from Bhagwaan Nirala.
Speaking of the success, MX Media chief content officer Gautam Talwar said, “At MX Player, our aim is to always offer path-breaking narratives. We encourage storytellers to showcase authentic stories that build strong resonance with our audiences, strengthening our promise of entertaining and keeping viewers engaged. ‘Ek Badnaam…Aashram 3‘, as a series, has scaled up our viewership and is testimony to that. Season two had 50 million in less than 17 hours and season three crossed 100 million in just 32 hours of the series launch. We will continue creating powerful engaging content and thank our audiences for their unwavering appreciation.”
Producer and director Prakash Jha said, “We are incredibly proud of Aashram and all the seasons that we’ve released so far. The viewers have once again shown their love and we are humbled by their response. The entire cast and crew have worked tirelessly and we’re happy that we’ve had great support from MX Player and look forward to our future associations too. We thank our viewers for their unwavering support.”
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.
