You’re probably not alone if you prefer WhatsApp mod apps to the official WhatsApp app. Given WhatsApp’s worldwide popularity, a slew of third-party software developers has marketed WhatsApp clones and mods.
While a few of these were valuable for introducing new features to the overall WhatsApp experience, the majority of them are just too dangerous to utilize. According to a cyber security assessment published by Kaspersky, one such WhatsApp mod is FMWhatsapp.
FMWhatsapp, according to the research, contains a trojan that can send you unwanted adverts, force you to subscribe to random services using your saved payment methods, and, most ominously, steal your messages, data, and OTPs.
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What makes matters worse is that FMWhatsapp is a well-known WhatsApp mod that was once considered reliable in terms of its developer and feature set.
To monetize its services, it also provides in-app adverts, and one of its ad libraries contains the Triada trojan – a well-known and reported virus.
Any malicious hacker can utilize FMWhatsapp as a platform to install the Triada trojan on a user’s device. It first examines the user’s phone data before relaying it to the hacker’s remote site.
Once this information is gathered, the Triada malware can use FMWhatsapp to download other trojans. This can allow hackers to spam a user’s phone with unwanted adverts, as well as install more adware and spyware in the background, forcing the user to subscribe to services without their knowledge.
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It can also read all of a user’s WhatsApp conversations and intercept SMS communications. As a result, the security implications of a WhatsApp tweak like this can be pretty serious.
In response to the discovery of the Triada virus in a popular WhatsApp mod, Kaspersky’s Igor Golovin offers a simple but important piece of advice: don’t use unlicensed programs. “It’s difficult for consumers to recognize the potential threat because the mod application does exactly what it claims to do – it adds new features,” he explains.
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However, we’ve noticed how thieves are using adblocking in these programs to propagate dangerous files. As a result, we advise you to only use messenger software that has been downloaded from official app stores. They may be lacking in some features, but they will not infect your smartphone with malware.”
FM Whatsapp is most likely one of the thousands of WhatsApp mod apps available, many of which contain security flaws. These can steal your data and use it to blackmail you for money or other favors, as well as install ransomware in some situations.
Users are advised to only download official apps that are advertised by the respective firms from official download channels such as the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.