How to Fix Your Phone After Downloading WhatsApp Pink
Security researcher Rajshekhar Rajahariya recently took to Twitter to warn of a new scam that is gaining traction – the silly-named “WhatsApp Pink”. This Android app promises to be a fun new take on the popular chat app with an all-pink user interface. While some of the pink app may be true, the app is not actually an official version of WhatsApp, or even a clone. This is malware.
This scam is not entirely sophisticated, but it has proven effective enough to lead a significant number of people to believe that there is indeed an alternate color WhatsApp app. And the sly .APK download link circulates in group chats all over the place, making it more reliable. Your friends and / or colleagues wouldn’t lead you astray with malware, would they?
As always, a little common sense prevails in these situations. It is good practice to never download and install an .APK that someone sends you unless you are sure you know what it is. You can always call your favorite search engine and find the file or application yourself, instead of using the provided link, which will probably tell you very quickly if the application or .APK itself is legal; at least you can be sure that the desired application or take .APK from the official site or from a repository.
It doesn’t matter if the app (or app link) is sent to you by your parents, spouse, or your dog – don’t download it. You can trust them completely, but you cannot be sure that they did their due diligence to determine that it is they who are actually sending you. All the steps you take to ensure your personal safety will not matter if you trust someone who is not so careful.
Sometimes, just stopping for critical reflection can save you. If so, will WhatsApp actually release a separate app that is a color-coded clone of their original app? Wouldn’t they add this functionality directly to the application? Before you even think about clicking on a link to download an app, consider whether the idea of the app itself is suspicious.
However, if you’ve already installed it, there are a few steps you can take to reduce potential damage:
And one last piece of advice, which should probably speak of itself: a look at the spelling error – Watsapp? You will never want to download an app if the alleged company offering it can’t even spell the name correctly. Sometimes an application screams “malware” and you should listen.