WhatsApp has been in a race to keep up with Telegram by matching old features and putting out new ones.
Among the features currently under development on the widely-used messaging app is the ability to block users from taking screenshots of self-destructing images and videos. But parent company Meta may have some bigger privacy concerns on its plate, based on a lawsuit it has filed against a handful of firms that have developed unofficial WhatsApp clients on Android that were reportedly harvesting sensitive user data.
Around a million WhatsApp users may have compromised their accounts using these unofficial apps since May, BleepingComputer reports. The lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California names Hong Kong-based Rockey Tech HK Ltd., Beijing Luokai Technology Co. Ltd. from China, and ChitChat Technology Ltd., headquartered in Taiwan.
Meta alleges that these companies collectively market their apps under names like “HeyMods,” “Highlight Mobi,” and “HeyWhatsApp,” with the purpose of luring in WhatsApp users with claims of advanced platform features, then hijacking their accounts to siphon their data and spam contacts with messages. Some of the other malicious apps identified by Meta include “AppUpdater for WhatsPlus 2021 GB Yo FM HeyMods” and “Theme Store for Zap.”
