Meta lawsuit claims companies lure WhatsApp users into connecting to malware-containing apps

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Meta WhatsApp malware lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Meta and WhatsApp filed a lawsuit against Rockey Tech HK Ltd., Beijing Luokai Technology Co. Ltd., and ChitChat Technology Ltd. 
• Why: Meta claims Rockey Tech, Beijing Luokai, and ChitChat Technology misled millions of WhatsApp users into installing unofficial versions of the messenger service that contained malware and took over their accounts. 
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

Meta Platforms has filed a complaint against three companies based out of China and Taiwan that it says misled millions of WhatsApp users into connecting with third-party apps carrying malware. 

Meta argues that companies Rockey Tech HK, Beijing Luokai Technology, and ChitChat Technology perpetrated the scheme by “developing and distributing ‘unofficial’ versions of the WhatsApp application on their website, heymods.com.” 

The three companies also distributed the unofficial versions of WhatsApp on third-party platforms such as the Google Play Store, APK Pure, and Malavida, among others, the Meta lawsuit alleges. 

Meta claims China-based Rockey Tech and Beijing Luokai, and Taiwan-based ChitChat “misled over one million WhatsApp users into self-compromising their accounts as part of an account takeover attack.” 

Meta claims companies took over WhatsApp accounts using malware to send ‘commercial spam messages’

The company’s reasoning behind the alleged attack was to use the taken-over accounts to send “commercial spam messages,” the Meta lawsuit alleges. 

Meta claims the ‘unofficial’ WhatsApp versions promise consumers new features, but, in reality, only exist to trick users into providing their account information so that they can be taken over adn used to send the spam messages. 

“According to online sources, account takeover attacks have been on the rise across all industries and cost online businesses and consumers billions of dollars in losses annually,” states the Meta lawsuit. 

Meta claims the three companies are guilty of breach of contract. It is demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive relief along with an award of compensatory damages.

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley agreed to pay a combined $1.8 billion to resolve claims they failed to properly monitor the work-related communications of employees using personal devices and messaging apps like WhatsApp. 

Have you been misled into installing an ‘unofficial’ version of WhatsApp that contained malware? Let us know in the comments! 

Meta and WhatsApp are represented by  Ann Marie Mortimer, Jason J. Kim, and Brandon Marvisi of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.

The WhatsApp malware class action lawsuit is WhatsApp LLC, et al. v. Rocky Tech HK Ltd., et al., Case No. 3:22-cv-05711, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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