WhatsApp warns against fake apps that steal your personal data

WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart posted a Twitter thread urging caution with fake apps that claim to imitate messages. When these appear to offer additional functionalities, they actually hide malicious code that can steal victims’ personal information.

It is now common knowledge, that hackers are legion on WhatsApp. The calculation is simple: the application has millions of users around the world, so many potential victims to trap in its nets. When phishing campaigns are most often used, hackers won’t hesitate to show ingenuity to go unnoticed, like this attack that just requires a simple call to seize the person’s account.

But there is also another particularly widespread threat: fake apps On Twitter, Will Cathcart, the boss of WhatsApp, explains that several applications claim to imitate messages while offering additional features to lure their victims. The latter mentions in particular hey WhatsApp a malicious alternative developed by a certain HeyMods.

Beware of these fake apps imitating WhatsApp

“These apps promised new features, but were simply a scam to steal personal information stored on smartphones,” writes Will Cathcart, who goes on to say that he “shared what we found with Google and worked with them to fight malicious applications.” Indeed, these fake applications cannot be found in the Play Store or the App Store, but on the web in APK format.

In other words, only Android users are threatened by this apple does not yet allow applications from third-party developers to be installed on its iPhones – which could soon change in Europe. For example, Google Play Protect can now detect these threats even after the application has been activated on the person’s smartphone. “Malware on smartphones is a pernicious threat that must be combated and cybersecurity experts must continue to develop new ways to prevent it from spreading,” concludes WhatsApp boss before reminding us that it is always wiser to go through the classic blinds to download its applications or, failing that, Download the APKs from their official website.