Beware of this fake FaceApp! It may infect your device
A fake app designed to trick users into thinking it is a certified version of FaceApp is infecting users` devices with an adware module called "MobiDash", said cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
Photo-morphing application FaceApp, which purportedly uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and neural face transformations to make creepy, hilarious and weird alterations to users` faces, has landed in another controversy. A fake app designed to trick users into thinking it is a certified version of FaceApp is infecting users` devices with an adware module called "MobiDash", said cybersecurity firm Kaspersky today. Notably, FaceApp for iOS and Android devices has been around since 2017, but it recently has gone viral.
Issuing a statement, Security Researcher at Kaspersky, Igor Golovin, said, "In the fake app, the people behind `MobiDash` often hide their adware module under the guise of popular applications and services. 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 day."
The statement added, "We urge users not to download applications from unofficial sources and to install security solutions on their devices to avoid any damage."
FaceApp has raised privacy concerns, primarily because users are uploading photographs and device-related information to a service operated by a company based in Russia, said an IANS report.
Reacting to the security concerns, Alvin Rodrigues, Senior Director, Security Strategist, Forcepoint, reportedly stated that the face is your personal copyright, adding that "From a security perspective, you are giving away your ability to use your face as a password to log files or to lock your devices."
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"This facial password, your face, is something that cannot change. It is personal and permanent. Secondly, the photographs being uploaded to the cloud are at risk of being targeted by hackers who may use them for running facial identification to compromise individuals and companies," Rodrigues reportedly added.
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09:21 PM IST