Cybersecurity firm warns of fake FaceApp

MANILA, Philippines — If you’re planning to join the “Old Age Filter Challenge,” you better check twice if you downloaded the verified version of FaceApp, which is growing in popularity worldwide but raising privacy concerns.

Cybersecurity company Kaspersky on Friday warned users against installing a fake application designed to look like the app, but goes on to infect victims’ devices with what Kaspersky said was an adware module called MobiDash.

US authorities had called for an investigation of FaceApp amid reports that the Russian-developed app was stealing data from users.

“The people behind MobiDash often hide their adware module under the guise of popular applications and services,” Kaspersky security researcher Igor Golovin said.

“This means that the activities of the fake version of FaceApp could intensify, especially if we are talking about hundreds of targets in just a few days.”

He also urged users not to download applications from unofficial sources, and to install security solutions on their devices.

Kaspersky also gave basic security tips like only download apps from trusted sources; read the reviews and ratings of the apps as well; select apps you wish to install on your devices wisely; read the license agreement carefully; pay attention to the list of permissions your apps are requesting; avoid simply clicking “next” during an app installation and to be sure to have a security solution installed on your devices to serve as an additional security layer./TSB