Beware! Fake links promising to run banned Chinese App TikTok being circulated to steal user data

NEW DELHI: Ever since several popular Chinese mobile applications, including video-sharing platform TikTok was banned by the government, several fake URLs have come to fore promising users a way to run the app in the country

However, all of these links are fake and aim to steal user data as well as information. It may be recalled that the Narendra Modi government recently banned at least 59 popular Chinese Apps citing that they posed a threat to the internal security and hacked user data for malicious activities.

A team of researchers from Kaspersky has recently found that cybercriminals are sending users links to download the malicious apps to their phones. 

Their modus operandi is simple – a seemingly genuine message is sent by a known contact to targets informing them about an alternative app with a download link available in place of TikTok. 

Named as “TikTok Pro”, once installed on a user’s device, the app asks for permission to read contacts and send SMS. Then the user is asked to enter their TikTok credentials and click on the advertisement or install an advertised application – one of the ways cybercriminals earn money from app distribution.  

The malware steals the affected users’ information and sends a text with the malicious link to all numbers in the affected users’ contact book. Fortunately, the current malware modification does not steal users’ account credentials.  

Here’s how users can protect their smartphones

·Always download applications from the official app store. 

·Read through the list of app permissions to ensure you are aware of what information and functions the app can access on your device, which can be crucial to identify if an app is fake or not 

·Use a trusted cybersecurity solution like Kaspersky Internet Security for Android to secure your device