The messaging platform WhatsApp said it had patched a vulnerability that allowed spyware to be installed via a missed call. The company assumes only selected users were targeted by an "advanced cyber actor."
The number of affected users was unknown, but the number was at least in the dozens, a spokesman for the company said late Monday.
Media outlets, including the Financial Times and TechCrunch, identified the spyware as the product of Israel's NSO group. The group is famous for building software which can hack smartphones and activate their microphones and cameras, collect location information and send out emails and texts.
While WhatsApp did not immediately confirm NSO was linked with the attack, they also said they were "not refuting" any of the media coverage.
The messaging platform also said the attack bore "all the hallmarks of a private company known to work with governments to deliver spyware that reportedly takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems."