Be Patient Please! Many Fake Clubhouse Apps On Android

Clubhouse Application (Mahesa/VOI)

JAKARTA - The audio chat application, Clubhouse is gaining popularity and has succeeded in capturing a lot of attention from social media (socmed) users. But keep in mind, this new platform is only available for iOS users.

So for you Android smartphone users, please be patient and don't rush to download the Clubhouse application first. It could be a malicious application that disguises Clubhouse unofficially.

"This malicious rogue application can then do exactly what you allow in your Android security settings - to obtain both coarse and accurate device location points, record audio and video, gain access to messengers, and more," said security expert at Kaspersky, Denis Legezo, in a written statement, Monday, February 22.

As an internet security company, Kaspersky warns users to beware of the undercover app Clubhouse for Android. This is because Alpha Exploration Co, as a developer, has not yet released its application for Android devices.

Kaspersky understands the popularity of the viral Clubhouse. Moreover, the exclusivity of the Clubhouse to be able to register and need to get an invitation to join.

"There are two important things here: first, the sale of invites; and fake applications. The two scenarios are united by one thing, namely the desire to exploit the interests of users on social platforms," he explained.

The first scenario is monetization on a small scale, however, the second scenario is much more serious. Cybercriminals can distribute malicious code posing as popular software, for example, a fake version of Clubhouse for Android.

Some unusual tricks are also possible. For example, if the cybercriminals implemented the capacity to record audio, and this function was allowed on the device, they would be able to use high-quality footage to train their machine algorithms, to create more sophisticated deep fakes.

"The best way to maintain security is to always be vigilant about what is downloaded, and maintain the proper security settings on your smartphone," said Legezo.