Police warning over TikTok scam which threatens security

TikTok users are being warned not to download a ‘pro’ version of the app which police say is a scam.
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Northumbria Police have confirmed that that there is no 'pro' version of the TikTok app and are urging users not to download anything that claims to be offering a pro version.

The force shared a message from Action Fraud UK which said that scammers are using a version of the app called ‘TikTokPro,’ which is available on app stores, to download spyware onto devices.

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Another version of the scam is installing adware onto the likes of smartphones.

Action Fraud UK said that while it is possible to get a ‘pro’ account for TikTok, there is no pro TikTok app.

It said: “This is a piece of opportunism from the threat actors behind this campaign.”

Meanwhile Android users are being urged to update their devices as soon as possible over a potential security compromise.

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An Action Fraud UK message shared by Northumbria Police said that Google had released its September 2020 Android Patch Tuesday security update, the most severe of these vulnerabilities is the CVE-2020-0245, found in the Media Framework component which could allow a remote attacker to send a specially crafted file and execute an arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process.

TikTok users are being warned not to download a ‘pro’ version of the app which police say is a scam. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)TikTok users are being warned not to download a ‘pro’ version of the app which police say is a scam. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
TikTok users are being warned not to download a ‘pro’ version of the app which police say is a scam. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Adobe users are also urged to update to the most recent versions of Adobe InDesign, Adobe Framemaker and Adobe Experience Manager.

This comes after Adobe released its September 2020 Patch Tuesday security update which found a total of 18 vulnerabilities were patched – 12 of which were rated critical.

Northumbria Police urged anyone affected to contact Action Fraud UK.

A message from the Editor:

Police are warning TikTok users about the scam.Police are warning TikTok users about the scam.
Police are warning TikTok users about the scam.

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