WhatsApp users alert! This WhatsApp clone is riddled with malware; Do this NOW

Are you using a cloned WhatsApp? Check what it can do to your Android phone. Delete it immediately.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Oct 10 2022, 13:29 IST

Stay safe from viruses, hackers NOW! Just follow these 5 safety tips

WhatsApp — 1/5 Keep your device updated- You should always keep your device updated with the latest software updates. Every time you get a notification regarding the updates from your device manufacturer or operating system provider, make sure you download it. The updates especially related to your internet browser should also be taken care of. You should also keep updating important apps regularly as the updates can bring new features to protect your privacy. (Pixabay)

image caption — 3/5 Strong password- Passwords can protect your device from unauthorized accesses. You should avoid keeping easy to guess passwords to lock your device like your name, date of birth, mobile number, among others. In order to make your password strong, you should use special characters, numbers, both upper and lower case alphabets. (Pixabay)

WhatsApp users need to bring their attention to this latest fake WhatsApp app which is riddled with malware to harm their device. The latest report by Malware protection and Internet Security firm ESET has revealed that India is among the countries with most Android infections as threat detections continued to rise by 9.5 percent. Shockingly, ‘GB WhatsApp' is responsible for most of these apps, which is a third-party WhatsApp clone.

The report added that the fake WhatsApp application offers almost all the standard features of a real app to its users along with some extra benefits. These trojan-loaded apps carry malware files which can reach a target device without any detection with the ability to even secretly recording audio and video. The worst part is that it will not be noticed immediately, and will slowly spy on your smartphone's day-to-day activities.

“Behind a large portion of Android/Spy.Agent detections recognized in ESET telemetry is “GB WhatsApp” – a popular but cloned (and therefore unofficial) third-party version of WhatsApp with additional features. However, the cloned app is not available on Google Play; there are no security checks in place compared with the legitimate WhatsApp and versions available on various download websites are riddled with malware,” the report mentioned.

It further stated that WhatsApp is temporarily banning WhatsApp accounts that use such unsupported apps and if these accounts continue to use them, they are permanently banned from accessing WhatsApp. Most of the cases of such apps are detected in Egypt, Brazil, India, and Peru. “However, China (53%) and India (35%) continued to have the highest number of IoT bots geolocated inside the respective countries,” the report mentioned.

What should WhatsApp users do

WhatsApp users should always download their application and updates from Google Play Store, and avoid any unknown third-party applications.
Check the information about your WhatsApp application. If it seems malicious or fake, you should uninstall this immediately.
You should keep a check on the security status of your smartphone and can even have an authenticated antivirus installed in your device.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.