Meta has banned a group of Iranian government hackers from WhatsApp. The hackers are said to have posed as help desk employees for US tech companies, but have yet to gain access to user accounts.

The hackers did According to Meta Part of the APT42 hacker group. This would be a group from Iran that also has ties to that country’s government. They reportedly posed as employees of AOL, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft and contacted various users. According to Meta, the hackers targeted users from Israel, Palestine, Iran, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The focus was reportedly on diplomats, public figures, and political officials. Some of the public figures reportedly had ties to the departments of US President Joe Biden and former US President Donald Trump.

According to Meta, APT42 is known for its hacking campaigns that primarily involve phishing attacks. The group, also known as UNC788 or Mint Sandstorm, is said to have attempted to hack multiple users in the past. According to Meta, these users had ties to the Saudi military or US politicians. Journalists, researchers, and human rights activists have reportedly fallen victim to APT42.