Report warns about cloned version of Whatsapp

Although this third-party app is not available on Play Store, it is readily available for download on various websites and puts users' privacy at risk due to spying fears.

Hyderabad: Cybersecurity research firm ESET has warned against a cloned version of the instant chatting app WhatsApp, which is spying on users' data thereby raising privacy concerns. As per a recent 'T2 2022 Threat Report' released by ESET, a cloned third-party app called 'GB WhatsApp' is spying on the users of our country.

Although this third-party app is not available on Play Store, it is readily available for download on various websites. As per the report, multiple cloned versions of the messaging app are available on websites and are riddled with malware that spies on the users' data in India. “WhatsApp is even temporarily banning accounts that use such unsupported apps and if these accounts continue to use them, they are permanently banned from accessing WhatsApp," the report said.

GB WhatsApp has all the same features as the original WhatsApp, which makes it difficult to differentiate between authentic and cloned apps. Besides India, the clone WhatsApp versions have also been detected in other countries, including Egypt, Brazil, and Peru.

In order to keep the clone apps at bay and nip the spying threats in the bud, cyber experts have advised users to download WhatsApp app and updates from Google Play Store only. Experts advised that in case Whatsapp looks malicious or fake it should be uninstalled immediately.