It’s Spyware — Don’t download this TikTok app

It's Spyware — Don't download this TikTok app

President Trump and tech experts fear that TikTok may be spyware, but the fake Android app “TikTok Pro” is the real deal. It steals your Facebook text messages, photos, location and passwords and can take screenshots, tap the microphone, make calls, send text messages and launch other applications.

The TikTok Pro app is not in the Google Play Store, but as the US government has announced that it will ban TikTok unless the Chinese app finds a buyer in the US, many people may have to go “astray” to search of the real thing, a job. TikTok Pro is waiting to trick them into downloading it.

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“Users who can’t wait to use the TikTok app amid the ban may be looking for alternative ways to download the app,” wrote Shivang Desai of security firm ZScaler (opens in new tab) in a post. on the blog yesterday (September 8) describing this new spyware. threat.

This is not the first fake “TikTok Pro” app to appear – Desai pointed out that the previous app was promoted via WhatsApp and SMS spam and, once installed, showed a lot of advertisements. It was more annoying than harmful.

Desai did not specify how this new, more dangerous variant spreads, but the same path of texting and messaging could be a safe bet.

Once installed, the fake TikTok app quickly hides its icon, Desai wrote, possibly leading the user to believe the installation failed. To steal your Facebook ID, a fake Facebook login page is created that expects you to enter your username and password.

“This functionality could easily be extended further to steal other data such as bank details, although we have not seen any banks attacked,” Desai wrote.

First, don’t download or install apps that aren’t on the official Google Play app store. (Older Android phones can prevent this by unchecking “Unknown sources” in the security settings.)

Secondly, download and install one of the best Android antivirus apps to block such Android malware immediately.