Pink WhatsApp: beware of this fake update that downloads a Trojan. Report By Alessandro Bazzoni

ESET, a leading company in proactive threat detection, warns that Android users should be careful with a message that is circulating through WhatsApp and other important messaging platforms and that promises the possibility of changing the color of WhatsApp to pink, Alessandro Bazzoni reported recently.

Pretending to be an official update for the popular chat app, the file that is invited to download to access WhatsApp Pink is actually a variant of the same malware that was distributed through WhatsApp messages and it was also analyzed by the expert Lukas Stefanko.

In this new version of the malware, it does not send automatic responses only to messages that arrive from WhatsApp, but also to messages received in other instant messaging applications, which could be the reason for its apparent wider spread, said the specialist.

Apparently, the malware sends these automatic responses to any message the user receives in applications such as WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, Signal, Skype, Viber, Telegram, he added.

WhatsApp Pink pink is a version of the popular messaging application that offers a new look to users who install it, but by clicking on the link it shares, it infects the mobile to gain complete control.

The supposed premium or special versions of WhatsApp have been tempting users for years with modifications, such as new functions and another color for the interface, that aren’t present in the legitimate application, with the aim of tricking them into obtaining a profit in return, as all the common malwares in this app.

In this sense, cybersecurity researcher RajshekharRajaharia has warned through his Twitter profile of a new threat, the so-called WhatsApp Pink.

In 2015 he highlighted another malicious version, WhatsApp Azul, which promised to change the color of the interface to adopt the one indicated by its name, but instead issued questionnaires and subscribed victims to paid services.

Another scam application is WhatsApp Gold, which does not exist as such. It is a hoax that urges you to download an application with which cybercriminals can steal your device’s data.

Although the new version of this malware does not go any further, Stefanko warned that this could only be a trial version and a more dangerous version may appear in the future. Also, the website from which it is downloaded could in the future be used to host various types of payloads (malicious payloads).

What is a malware?

‘Malware’ is an increasingly familiar computing term for the common user. It refers to the malicious code that, usually disguised as a mobile application, infects our devices to provide revenue to its creators. In simple terms, we are talking about a virus that takes control of smartphones, electronic tablets or computers without the owner being aware.

Not long ago we talked aboutFlubot, associated with false notices from courier companies; ‘System Update’, a remote access Trojan that promised to keep our phone updated; and FlixOnline, which posed as a Netflix app to spread uncontrollably among our WhatsApp contacts. Now it is the turn of ‘WhatsApp Pink’, an application that takes advantage of this latest modus operandi and in whose networks not a few users have fallen.

As its name suggests, Pink promises to dye WhatsApp pink and modify its icon accordingly, that is, to apply aesthetic touches to the instant messaging service. Needless to say, these never occur.

This new Android Trojan was first reported by a Twitter user in India, where it was shared in several massive chat groups of popular instant messaging services. The hoax does not ask users to download and install the malicious app from a place other than the official Google Play store, however, the malware does request permission to access user notifications.

Once the installation process is complete and the user clicks on WhatsApp Pink, the application is hidden and a message is displayed indicating that it was never installed. So, when the victim receives a message, they will respond to it without knowing it and will cause it to spread further.

In case that you downloaded WhatsApp Pink you can remove it through the settings option and the application manager submenu or by installing an Android security solution that will scan your device and automatically remove the malware.

By way of prevention, ESET shares several precautions that can be taken and that will reduce the chances of becoming a victim of similar schemes in the future:

• Always use a trusted mobile security solution

• Be careful with the permissions you grant to applications

WhatsApp has long been the most popular messaging application in much of the world. So much so, that it has become the most used means when we want to contact someone from our mobile phone, even more than the calls themselves.

But like everything that takes on great prominence and popularity, it has also become the focus of all those who try to take advantage of this success to try to distribute all kinds of viruses or malware and reach many victims with less effort. This is why we must be very careful with all those we receive through the messaging app owned by Facebook. These are the most dangerous viruses that we can receive through the chatting app on our mobile phone.

Alessandro Bazzoni explains that WhatsApp is usually one of the places from where we receive more viruses or scams. A friend sends us a message (or an acquaintance or a relative) and we open it without thinking. A message with a link, a video or any other file that automatically introduces viruses to our mobile phone. Cyber ​​attackers take advantage of the trust we have in our contacts or the memes that circulate through the app to introduce viruses that attack our phone or even steal our data. That is why it is convenient that we be careful with what we open, that we always distrust links that promise us gifts or raffles, that we make sure what we are opening.

Share your love
Christophe Rude
Christophe Rude
Articles: 15883

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *