By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -WhatsApp said Friday it discovered an advanced cyberespionage effort that took advantage of a chain of security vulnerabilities in the app and Apple devices to hack them.

A researcher with Amnesty International said unidentified members of civic groups appeared to be among those impacted.

In a brief statement, the Meta Platforms-owned communications service said it had patched the security vulnerability that allowed hackers to take advantage of a second vulnerability on Apple devices and hijack the machines. In a statement, WhatsApp said that fewer than 200 users worldwide had potentially been impacted.

Donncha O Cearbhaill, who heads Amnesty’s Security Lab, told Reuters that his group was starting to collect forensic data from potential victims.

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