Fake Whatsapp download tricks over 1 Million Android Users

[Ian]

A "fake" version of the popular messaging application Whatsapp has been downloaded over 1 Million times from the Google Play store. By crafting an extremely similar looking application and identical appearing download title, many users have inadvertently downloaded an application that makes money via advertising (rather than serving a useful purpose!). Worryingly, this same mechanism could be used for more troubling things, such as malware:

Google appears not to have done enough to prevent scammers from using well-known apps, such as WhatsApp, from simply copying familiar app names, icons, and developer names and distributing them to unsuspecting Play Store customers.

One of several fake WhatsApp apps was downloaded between one million and five million times before it was flagged by users on Reddit. The app, which was called 'Update WhatsApp', looked identical to the real WhatsApp.

To dupe Android users, those behind the fake app differentiated its developer ID from WhatsApp's ID by adding Unicode encoding for a type of space, known as a 'no-break space', at the end of the name.

ZDNet have more:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/fake-w...oid-users-on-google-play-did-you-fall-for-it/

 

[V_R]

This looks real bad on Google tbh. They need to crack down on this stuff.

Makes the new Play Protect look utterly pointless.

 

[Ian]

Yup, over 1 million downloads before it was pulled too .