A WhatsApp mod found to contain a Trojan malware that downloads other viruses and harms your smartphone

With time the use of mobile phones and the internet have increased and while this increase in usage has brought about a lot of positive changes, it also has a few cons. The most primary of which is hacking which puts personal data and privacy of users at stake.

Over the years, consumers have become more aware about different types of hacking techniques thus forcing hackers to make newer and more harmful techniques. A recent technique that hackers have developed is planting malwares inside a clone app or a modification file thus tricking users into downloading it and making them think that it is authentic.

An example of this is a recent WhatsApp modified app (known as FMWhatsApp/FMWhasapp) that contains harmful malwares code embedded inside it.

The mod just recently started gaining popularity amongst users since it made the stock WhatsApp app more interesting and added extra features to it, many users rushed to download it and since it works perfectly they thought that it is safe, however what they didn't know was that this mod contains and spreads a mobile version of the Trojan virus, as reported by Kaspersky team.

The mod once installed releases its Trojan virus into the phone, the Trojan then downloads other similar viruses while also launching unwanted ads, issuing subscriptions and keeping a track on your messages.

Researchers that tracked down the virus said that the virus once inside the device, collects device details and then proceeds to harm the device in many ways.

The fact that the Trojan in this mod file downloads other Trojans without the user knowing about it is surely dangerous, these Trojans together can completely harm the device without the user knowing it.

Researchers that found the virus attached to this mod said that the most effective way to keep your device safe from such harmful viruses is to not use modifications and features that are not officially released by the platform owners since a large percentage of these mods usually have viruses in them. Thus users keep away from unnecessary mods and stick to using apps from the official app store.

Another precaution that users should take before using mods is carefully checking the terms and conditions of every mod they download.

Photo: Kaspersky

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