Hacking alert is a virus for your smartphone

• Fraudsters trying to install Trojan on smartphones via an alleged update of WhatsApp
• This message requires a download
• Users should not under any circumstances click on the link.
• Once the Trojan is installed, only radical measures will help

Virus on WhatsApp – Beware of hackers: If you use the WhatsApp email service regularly, you must be careful. It's still an outstanding malware. The treacherous thing about it: The warning against the pest itself is the hack.

• Whatsapp's update message is wrong
• Fraudsters want to encourage users to install a Trojan on their smartphone
• Android smartphones are particularly at risk

Messenger WhatsApp hacked? Beware of warning messages regarding an alleged update As the online portal Onlinewarnungen.de points out, currently a message on WhatsApp is circulating, users should pay no attention:If a warning indicates that WhatsApp has been hacked, there is a link to load an alleged update. However, the link leads to a download page that wants to install a Trojan on the smartphone.

The message usually comes from the number +79257191762but can also come from other senders. The label looks like this:

"WARNING!

Your version of WhatsApp has been hacked! Install the update IMMEDIATELY!

Otherwise, WhatsApp will not be responsible for your data.

Link to the update file: https://bit.ly/2GJGvtu

Enter OK to activate the link. "

But beware! The message is not from WhatsApp and users should not click on the link! If WhatsApp updates its Messenger application, it will do so via the Appstore and never via a direct message.

WhatsApp Update: What happens if I click on the link?

If an antivirus is installed on your smartphone or tablet, it will probably block the download. If this is not the case, a file (called "security_update.apk" or similar) will be downloaded.

Then the icon "Update WhatsApp" will appear on the home screen. If you touch it, the Trojan will activate and the icon disappears. Now the system settings are displayed and can not be hidden. Here, the application should have extensive permissions.

If all this happens, a Trojan is now installed on the smartphone and opens all doors to fraudsters. Nowadays, other malicious applications can be downloaded, the data can be read and, for example, banking information can be exploited. During the test of Onlinewarnungen.de, the banking Trojan Andr / BankSpy-AH was downloaded. This allows fraudsters to make transfers from the mobile phone of the person concerned.

WhatsApp Hack: What should I do if my smartphone is infected?

Once the malware is installed, you must arrive with heavy weapons. Simply uninstall is not possible. In any case, immediately disconnect from the network and use the safest way to reset the phone to the factory state or read a previously saved backup again.