Here's the app used by Pakistan intelligence to snoop on the Indian military

According to an investigation conducted by CNN-IBN, it was revealed that a spyware-laden app was being used by Pakistani intelligence to monitor the movement of Indian troops in counter-terrorism operations. The app was allegedly being used to access smartphones used by personnel in the Indian Army.

The app which was originally available on the Google Play Store--known as Smeshapp--contained spyware that could be deployed on not just smartphones but even on desktop computers, enabling a third party to access personal information such as phone logs, text messages, even photographs stores on the compromised device. As a fallout of this investigation, the app now appears to be removed from the Google Play Store.

The report claims that the app was especially used by Pakistani handlers to access information regarding troop movement after the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in January 2016.

The spyware was deployed by luring Facebook accounts via honeytraps set by the Pakistani intelligence, where apparently over ten fake Facebook profiles were set up, leading to Indian military personnel unknowingly connecting and communicating with Pakistani handlers.

This spyware was targeted at all branches of the armed forces, including the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The targets ‘selected’ for luring were apparently susceptible field-level officers, although the operation apparently even included retired members of the Indian military.