WhatsApp virus: how to protect yourself

If you use Messenger WhatsApp on your Android smartphone or iPhone, you should always be on your guard against a virus or nasty rip-offs. We show you how to protect yourself from the dangers.

WhatsApp Virus: The correct behavior protects your smartphone

There are some dangers lurking in WhatsApp. If you are not careful, your data can be stolen, the mobile phone credit charged, the smartphone checked or even made unusable. More and more people are being deceived by fraudulent news. How to react correctly:

• WhatsApp viruses almost always sneak onto the smartphone in the same way: A link with a third-party or known contact or when surfing in the browser opens a website with promises.
• Users are often promoted with exciting functions that many people would like to see: "See who your friends are chatting with, " "Have you been blocked? We are solving the problem" or "New emojis for WhatsApp" are the promises. Some sound too good to be true, others still seem quite realistic.
• Nobody else than WhatsApp itself can add or activate new functions in Messenger. WhatsApp has full control over the app, no modification from the outside is possible. If you google for the supposedly new function, you will usually be quickly disappointed.
• Critically question such websites. For example, if you came to the website through an advertising pop-up, you should leave it immediately. If a website looks serious or even looks like the official WhatsApp homepage, you should check the URL.
• It is also extremely unlikely that someone will give away functions for WhatsApp. If you obviously want to pay for a function, definitely stay away from this offer. WhatsApp is completely free, and new features are also included free of charge with an update.

WhatsApp: Virus protection for iOS and Android

• After all, you do not have to worry about your data on iPhone: as long as you do not enter any data yourself, you are on the safe side. Viruses cannot gain a foothold on iOS.
• The only trap you can fall into with an iPhone is the subscription trap. You will often be asked to enter your cell phone number. A subscription is concluded unnoticed, which you will only discover later on your mobile phone bill.
• Therefore, never enter personal data or your mobile phone number on a website that you do not know exactly. If it has already happened, you will find instructions for revoking mobile phone subscriptions in the following practical tip.

New WhatsApp functions - a source of danger

• With the last WhatsApp update, users got new, sometimes very practical, new gimmicks. This includes the possibility of sending previously neglected file formats, such as MP3s, RAR and ZIP archives.
• It makes it easier for criminals to send dangerous programs to Android phones. Executable files should no longer be opened lightly in WhatsApp, even if they come from friends.
• Executable files with the extension .exe, .com or .scr (if you use WhatsApp Web or the desktop version) are dangerous on a Windows computer - of course, they can also be packed as a ZIP archive.
• On Android, files with the file extension .apk contain executable apps: Viruses or Trojans can also hide here, which become active in the background on the phone and, for example, store passwords.
• Office files can also be dangerous: embedded macros can be used to load programs and thus infect the computer or mobile phone.
• In contrast to emails, the messages are also encrypted by default. However, the files received are not checked for potentially dangerous codes.
• You should therefore use a current virus scanner and not simply open foreign, executable files.

Android: How to protect yourself against WhatsApp viruses

• Virus protection makes sense on an Android smartphone and should be part of the basic configuration. If you don't want to worry too much about the topic, simply install a free virus protection such as 360 Security.
• If you have already caught a virus on your Android smartphone, the following instructions will help you.
• If you want to best protect your smartphone from viruses and other dangers, you can find a comparison of the 25 best anti-virus apps in the following article.