By Milcah Tanimu
Meta, the American technology giant, has taken significant steps to address an Iranian hacking group’s activities on WhatsApp, focusing on the upcoming U.S. elections.
In a statement released Monday, Meta disclosed that it had deactivated WhatsApp accounts associated with “a small cluster of likely social engineering activity” on its platform.
The company identified the group responsible as APT42, also known by its aliases UNC788 and Mint Sandstorm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had previously linked APT42 to a phishing campaign targeting individuals in the Trump and Harris campaigns.
Meta’s statement highlighted that the suspicious activity on WhatsApp seemed to target individuals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Palestine, and Iran. It notably focused on diplomats and political figures, including those affiliated with both presidential candidates.
