Fake Android update app installs Morpheus spyware and steals WhatsApp access

ⓘ Freepik.com Morpheus Android spyware uses fake update apps and telecom provider cooperation to hijack WhatsApp accounts. Morpheus Android spyware, linked to Italian firm IPS, tricks targets into installing a fake update app by cutting off their mobile data first, then hijacks their WhatsApp account using biometric spoofing. A newly exposed spyware operation is using fake Android update apps to plant surveillance software on targets’ devices, with the infection chain requiring active cooperation from the victim’s own mobile network provider.  The spyware, named Morpheus by researchers, was uncovered by Italian digital rights organization Osservatorio Nessuno in a report published April 24 and first reported by TechCrunch. How the infection works Morpheus is classified as low-cost spyware because it relies on social engineering rather than the zero-click exploits used by more advanced tools like NSO Group’s Pegasus or Paragon Solutions. The attack requires the target to install the malicious app themselves, but the method used to get them there is deliberate and documented. The target’s mobile data is first deliberately blocked by their telecom provider, working in coordination with the authorities deploying the spyware. With their data cut off, the target receives an SMS instructing them to install an app to
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