WhatsApp Pink link claims to change your WhatsApp theme from green to pink and contains a Trojan that takes over your Android device.
- WhatsApp Pink link is being circulated online that claims to change your WhatsApp theme from green to pink.
- This malicious link can potentially give hackers complete control of your phone.
- If you have already clicked on the link but have not downloaded and installed the APK, then you might still be safe.
WhatsApp Pink link claims to change your WhatsApp theme from green to pink and contains a Trojan that takes over your Android device.
WhatsApp Pink is essentially malware or a malicious computer program that intends to hijack its target system. The virus gets its name from the alias under which it is being spread on WhatsApp groups.
Security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia warned WhatsApp users of a new malware circulating through WhatsApp group messages that contain links to scam sites.
As per Rajaharia, the link has been introduced to trick WhatsApp users and steal access to their accounts. In addition to this, he also said that anybody who clicks on the WhatsApp Pink link would completely lose access to their phone, risking data loss or hijack by threat perpetrators.
Many of the WhatsApp users might have received such links on their phones, while most of them have already forwarded it without knowing its real purpose.
These links appear within messages that read like:
Apply New Pink Must Try New
WhatsApp. http://XXXXXXXX/?whatsapp
But, clicking on the link takes users to a page to download the malicious WhatsApp Pink APK.
As seen by BleepingComputer, the links lead to the following webpage. The "download" button directs the user to the app, WhatsappPink.apk.
WhatsApp Pink is an updated version of the WhatsApp auto-reply worm we wrote about in January," said ESET malware researcher Lukas Stefanko.
"The Trojan's updated version doesn't auto-reply just to WhatsApp messages, but also to messages received on other instant messaging apps, which could be the reason for its apparent wider spread," added the researcher.
In case you have already clicked on the malicious WhatsApp pink link, the security researcher has now come up with the following steps to avoid consequences.
- Firstly Uninstall WhatsApp Pink immediately and unlink all WhatsApp Web devices.
- Then clear your cache from your browser by going to ‘Settings’.
- Check permission for all apps; if you find consent to any suspicious app, then revoke it.
Before clicking such unverified links, it is requested to look for signs such as wrong spellings, grammatical mistakes or checking if there is an official announcement from the company.
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