Since the beginning of the year, malware has been spreading via WhatsApp via links to alleged competitions. Initially only the messenger was affected. Security experts are now warning of spreading to other services.
Stuttgart – At the beginning of the year, security experts warned of malware that was making the rounds on WhatsApp: the WhatsApp worm. The malware previously spread via a link to an alleged competition. This is automatically sent by the smartphones already infected with the malware when they receive a WhatsApp message from one of their contacts. If the recipient of the link then clicks on it, he ends up in a fake Google Play Store and is supposed to download an app that contains the malware. Now the WhatsApp worm has evolved.
As the security company Eset reports on Twitter, the malware is now spreading via a different link: It advertises a supposedly new WhatsApp version with a pink logo and new features. In addition, other messenger services are now also affected. According to Eset, the automatic replies with the link to the malware are now also spreading on Skype, Viber, Telegram and Signal.
How to protect yourself from the malware
On this occasion, Computer Bild advises against clicking on suspicious links, especially if they are sent without comment. In addition, you should only allow downloads from the official Google Play Store so that the malware cannot even get onto the smartphone.
According to t-online, if the software is already on the cell phone and an antivirus program cannot do anything, one should try to delete the malicious app manually. To do this, you have to start the smartphone in safe mode, in which only the applications preinstalled when you buy the phone start up. The malware can then be deleted from the overview of the installed apps under “Settings”. If that doesn’t work, you should reset the device to the factory settings. However, all data will be deleted from the smartphone. That is why it is good to make backups regularly.
