Dangerous ‘WhatsApp mod’ app is targeting users in India: What it is and how to stay safe – Times of India

India is WhatsApp’s largest market with about 500 million users using the app and recently, a report claimed that it is also among the countries with highest number of Android trojan detections. A few days ago, it was reported that a cloned, third-party unofficial version of WhatsApp is spying on people’s chats in the country. Now, a new malicious version of a popular WhatsApp dubbed YoWhatsApp has been found targeting Indians and people in other countries.
What is YoWhatsApp
Russia-based Kaspersky says that its researchers have discovered YoWhatsApp – a new malicious version of WhatsApp that is advertised as a version that has features which the official app does not offer. The cybersecurity company says that this mod spreads “Triada mobile Trojan, which can download other Trojans, issue paid subscriptions and even steal WhatsApp accounts.”
Kaspersky says that over 3,600 users have been affected with mobile Trojan in the last two months and countries with most targets include India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia. YoWhatsApp is advertised in the Snaptube app and is also distributed via Vidmate. Both these apps are used to download videos from YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. “This makes the mod look much less suspicious to potential targets, and expands the possible number of victims,” Kaspersky says.

How YoWhatsApp targets victims
Some people think that WhatsApp as a free app does not have enough features and they download WhatsApp mods that offer more options, “such as custom backgrounds and fonts for chats, bulk messaging, or password-protected login to certain conversations.” They do not think that these mods may be malicious. Cyber criminals use YoWhatsApp to take advantage of this mindset.
They advertise the malicious YoWhatsApp mod in Snaptube as well as Vidmate apps. Since the platforms are used by “hundreds of thousands of users around the world,” victims are not aware that this modified app could be dangerous. The ad in Snaptube app makes it look like YoWhatsApp carries no risks for users.
Once users have downloaded YoWhatsApp mod, they are asked to log into their accounts on the legitimate app. After logging in, users receive a lot of features along with the Triada Trojan. Cyber criminals then run malicious payloads on victims’ devices, get hold of the keys to their official WhatsApp accounts and permissions needed for WhatsApp to work properly.
“This gives them the ability to steal accounts and get money from victims by signing them up for paid subscriptions that they are not even aware of,” Kaspersky notes.
How to stay safe from YoWhatsApp
The best way to stay safe from being victims of cyber attackers is by installing apps from official stores and reliable resources. Always check the permissions you give installed applications and install a mobile antivirus on your smartphone.
“We recommend that users download applications only from official app stores. They will not always carry the same large number of custom features, but they will definitely be much safer for you, reducing the possibility of losing your account or reducing your money to a minimum,” said Anton Kivva, security researcher at Kaspersky.