WhatsApp: how to recognize the fake app that spies on the phone

Time: 27/Jul By: kenglenn 410 Views

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A fake WhatsApp app threatens those who own an iPhone, because it is able to spy on the smartphone and remove sensitive users of users.The app was developed in Italy and is proposed to users who have an iOS device, but not through the official channels of the Apple app store.

The alarm is launched by the Motherboard site, which together with the IT technicians of the Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto discovered the dangerous app.It is a fake version of the popular messaging app, which instead is owned by Facebook, and which is able to install a code on the phone that allows you to send sensitive data to a distance.The unsuspecting iPhone users who discharged it thus find themselves sharing their information with the attackers, without even realizing the risk that they run.Behind the fake app, according to Citizen Lab and Motherboard there would be the Italian CY4Gate company which however denied each connection.

WhatsApp Fake App: What do we know

The WhatsApp app has always been in the sights of hackers to perform illegal actions, since it is among the most downloaded in the world and being able to exploit it means being able to have access to thousands of victims in one fell swoop.This time the threat does not come from beyond Ocean as you would expect, but from Italy.

WhatsApp: come riconoscere l'app fake che spia il telefono

To discover the scam is the Motherboard site that has collaborated with the IT technicians of the Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto, Canada.A worrying picture emerges thus: the attack would seem to have been created by the Italian Cy4gate company, in order to sell the sensitive data collected to the knowledge of the unfortunate users.

At the moment it is not even clear how long the fake WhatsApp app has been used and it is assumed that the victims were few and targeted, objectives of interest for CY4Gate customers, given that the Italian company also works for institutional subjects both inItaly that abroad and among its customers also include the United Arab Emirates.

WhatsApp Fake App: how the hacker attack works

The victims who fell into the hacker trap have let themselves be reassured by the graphics of the websites, which are absolutely not the official ones nor the Apple Apple App Store, and have downloaded the fake WhatsApp app ignoring the danger.

In particular, fake sites were set up, created with graphics that made you think of WhatsApp, and with detailed instructions on how to install the app on their iPhone.Once installed, the app allowed to spy on the phones through the MDM configuration files, that is, a special profile that sets the behavior of an iPhone according to certain parameters.A type of procedure that is usually used in companies, to equip the smartphones of the employees with special internet communications settings.

After starting the download, the espionage begins through the MDM configuration files, the hackers have thus had access to the phone to control it remotely and send sensitive data remotely, such as the identification code of the SIM and the device.The information subtracted to users at the moment has not yet been identified by Canadian researchers, who continue to work on the hacker attack.

How to recognize the WhatsApp Fake App

The researchers have currently identified only a fake app for iOS, so those who have an Android smartphone do not risk anything (unless a version is also discovered for Android).Who has an iPhone, on the other hand, is at risk.

It is possible to understand if we are faced with a false WhatsApp app, paying attention to how we download it: Apple's App Store is safe and there are no fake applications.The case of WhatsApp apps downloaded from websites or other sources is different: in this case the risk that it is a fake and dangerous app is very high.