WhatsApp warns users against downloading fake versions of messaging app
July 12, 2022
- Head of WhatsApp reveals company found a fake version of App.
- Will Cathcart warns users against using fake versions of Apps.
- He urges users to only download WhatsApp from a trusted app store.
Meta-owned instant messaging service WhatsApp has warned users against downloading fake versions of the application, saying users’ security can be compromised by downloading such versions.
The Head of WhatsApp Will Cathcart, while taking to Twitter, revealed that the company’s security team found a fake version of WhatsApp outside of Google play that was offering new features to users.
“Recently our security team discovered hidden malware within apps – offered outside of Google Play — from a developer called “HeyMods” that included "Hey WhatsApp" and others,” he tweeted.
Will Cathcart warned users that such fake versions were a scam to steal personal information stored on people's phones, adding that the “company is taking actions against HeyMods to stop future harm and will further explore legal to hold HeyMods and others like them accountable.”
Keeping in view the latest security threat, the head of WhatsApp urged users to only download WhatsApp from a trusted app store.
“If you see friends or family using a different form of WhatsApp please encourage them to only use WhatsApp from a trusted app store or our official website directly at http://WhatsApp.com/dl,” he urged users.
