KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) advised the public to be cautious when receiving invitations to join or download a harmful application called Pink WhatsApp.
According to Bernama, the communications regulator said in a statement on Tuesday (Jun 27) that the application poses a serious security risk.
It said that Pink WhatsApp falsely advertises better security and privacy features, a customised interface and the ability to transmit larger files than WhatsApp, a popular messaging application.
However, upon installation, the regulator noted that “the malicious application” can access various items within the user’s smartphone such as photos, SMS and contact lists.
“Users may receive messages and links that appear to be from WhatsApp inviting them to try the new application,” said MCMC.
It also reportedly advised the public not to download and install the application, and to immediately delete it if it is already present on their mobile devices.
MCMC also recommended that the public only download mobile applications from official stores such as Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Gallery, according to Bernama.
In India, Mumbai police have also issued a public warning about the application.
According to The Star, citing India Times, members of the public were urged to refer to an advisory titled “WhatsApp Pink: A red alert for Android users”.
It reportedly detailed how Pink WhatsApp will bombard the affected user’s device with numerous ads and cause them to lose control of their device as personal data like one-time password (OTP) and contacts can be accessed by fraudsters.
The advisory was released by the Information Security Education and Awareness agency under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in India.