Photo: Wunderweib
Beware of alleged WhatsApp update
A virus disguised as a WhatsApp update ensures that your smartphone is completely paralyzed in a matter of seconds - and that of your contacts as well.
Attention: A new WhatsApp virus is around! Users of the app often receive a message in which a supposedly new update is advertised and are prompted to download it at the same time. A fatal mistake, because this will paralyze the entire smartphone.
"Mimikama", a security blog from Austria, reports that the suggested update will be sent to the users as a message. The content promises that after updating the app in real time it will be visible which of WhatsApp's own contacts are currently chatting with whom.
"Well finally! From now on you can see with whom the contacts are chatting on whatsapp "(sic)
This sentence depends on the message. The missing majuscules are a clear indication that things are not right here.
As soon as the user presses the button contained in the message, he is asked to forward the message to ten WhatsApp contacts. So this is a classic chain letter virus. If the message is not forwarded by the user, he will not get the update. In mistaken belief, the user sends the virus to his friends and acquaintances.
If the supposed update was downloaded, the smartphone will be disabled: it will vibrate until the battery is empty. The result: The phone switches off and can not be switched on. There is currently no solution to how a smartphone that is affected by the virus can be made functional again.
Rule of thumb: Updates should never be installed when they are offered by the app. Official updates are only available in the corresponding app stores!
