Security News > 2022 > October > Meta sues app dev for stealing over 1 million WhatsApp accounts
Meta has sued several Chinese companies doing business as HeyMods, Highlight Mobi, and HeyWhatsApp for developing and allegedly using "Unofficial" WhatsApp Android apps to steal over one million WhatsApp accounts starting May 2022.
Once installed, the apps used bundled malware to harvest sensitive info, including account authentication, to hijack their WhatsApp accounts to send spam messages.
"After victims installed the Malicious Applications, they were prompted to enter their WhatsApp user credentials and authenticate their WhatsApp access on the Malicious Applications," the complaint adds.
The head of WhatsApp at Meta, Will Cathcart, warned users in July not to download modified versions of WhatsApp and gave as examples HeyMods' and HeyWhatsApp's apps.
Starting in mid-July, Android's Google Play Protect was updated to detect and disable previously downloaded malicious fake versions of WhatsApp on users' Android devices after Meta alerted Google of their findings.
As Meta says, the defendants agreed and were bound by the WhatsApp Terms when they created various WhatsApp accounts.