iWorld
Prabh Simran Singh moves on from Disney+ Hotstar
Mumbai: Disney+ Hotstar EVP and head of subscriptions Prabh Simran Singh has moved on from the video streaming service after a five-year stint. He had joined the OTT platform in October 2015.
“I announced my departure from Hotstar yesterday, where I learnt how to back big dreams with audacious thinking and high quality execution. The last 5 years have been transformational, from creating World record concurrency on the back of immense user love to making Hotstar into the largest subscription service in India with an explosive 30x growth in just 2 years. Today, Hotstar contributes to a third of Disney+ global subscribers!” Singh said in a LinkedIn post, announcing his departure.
He will be with Disney+ Hotstar till December.
“In this exhilarating 0 to 100 journey, it’s been an absolute privilege to work with whip smart people. I’m incredibly grateful to my insanely talented teams for believing in my vision and coming on-board as co-conspirators in building Hotstar. I’ll be at Hotstar till the end of the year,” Singh added.
In his current role at Disney+ Hotstar, Singh leads the charter to grow the subscription category and build the largest D2C subscription platform in India with an ambition of 50 million subs by 2023. His mandate included brand, revenue, content, product, pricing, customer experience, payments, and partnerships (telcos, fintech, OEMs).
Earlier, he was EVP & head of consumer and revenue at Disney+ Hotstar, where he led the Consumer & Revenue organisation with the mandate to accelerate user scale for ad-supported business and growing monetisation. In this role, he accelerated the streaming platform on the back of cricket as an acquisition lever and retention through Star network shows and films.
While his next move is yet unknown, Singh, in the same LinkedIn post, said that he is excited about the increasing role of technology in solving large & complex problems, particularly in health.
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.
