iWorld
ZEE5 announces partnership with Zeasn
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s digital entertainment platform, ZEE5, today announced a key strategic alliance with home digital entertainment service provider, Zeasn. The partnership will make ZEE5 available on millions of Zeasn devices across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
ZEE5 global chief business officer, Archana Anand said, “Asia, Middle East and Africa are among the fastest growing markets in the world for online entertainment content and are key markets for us, given the huge South Asian diaspora, and the universal love for Bollywood content even among the locals there. By enabling over 2.5 million Zeasn users to access our unparalleled content library, this partnership further underscores our commitment to bring the best of language entertainment to viewers across devices of their choice.”
On the partnership Zeasn chief executive officer, Jason said, “Bollywood content has a large number of fans around the world and it is a very important part of the world's cultural treasure. The strategy partnership will enable the consumers to enjoy wonderful Bollywood content efficiently on their smart TV devices, which will greatly help enrich the content of family digital entertainment system.”
Available across 190+ countries globally, ZEE5 offers multi-genre and multi-lingual content across English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi.
ZEE5 comes packed with 1,00,000 hours of On Demand content, including movies and TV shows, music, and health and lifestyle videos along with a slew of Originals, across 12 languages. It also has an extensive Live TV offering with 60+ popular Live TV channels, including ZEE’s best loved channels.
With over 2.5 million Zeasn connected device users now being able to watch ZEE5 across any screen of their choice, this partnership further strengthens ZEE5’s international reach, while giving Zeasn users access to the largest library of over 1,00,000 hours of language content across genres. Over the next year, the ZEE5 app will be made available on all Zeasn enabled devices, offering Whale Eco consumers access to ZEE5’s premium content.
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.
