The old hoax of the goodnight message on WhatsApp with the virus is back to turn: here's why it's fake news and what we should instead be careful.
Some hoaxes never go out of fashion, especially if they have to do with WhatsApp which, being the most widely used instant messaging app in the world, is a topic of interest on virtually everyone. If then the hoax runs on WhatsApp and also talks about WhatsApp, then you can be sure that the fake news will run among millions of profiles.
And also that it will return, cyclically, like the one that has returned in recent days: the mythical hoax of the virus in the good morning and good night images. Si tratta di una fake news che gira da tempo immemore, che è stata smentita migliaia e migliaia di volte ma… ma siamo ancora qui a parlarne perché sta girando nuovamente e migliaia di utenti italiani di WhatsApp la stanno nuovamente condividendo tra amici e parenti. Soprattutto inviandola ai fan delle frasi del buongiorno su WhatsApp (o della buona notte). Ecco, per l’ennesima volte, come è fatta questa bufala e perché non ci dobbiamo preoccupare.
Bufala del messaggio del buongiorno: come è fatta
Questa bufala sfrutta il fatto che milioni di persone in tutto il mondo Italia compresa, amano inviare ogni giorni messaggi WhatsApp con foto o immagini per augurare il buongiorno e/o la buona notte ai propri cari. Pratica che non tutti apprezzano, ma che è comunque assolutamente legittima e sicura.
Il messaggio attorno al quale ruota questa bufala, però, ci dice che “Da domani niente immagini buongiorno e buonanotte: contengono un virus“. The idea would be that in the image attached to the message there would be a virus and, therefore, whoever receives the message gets the malware.
Nothing more false: although it is technically possible to circulate a computer virus through an image (usually in Gif or Jpg format), neither the Postal Police, nor any of the major cybersecurity companies are aware of any malware circulating in WhatsApp good morning and good night messages.
WhatsApp: what to really be afraid of
If you're really afraid of a virus or other cyber danger related to WhatsApp and you can't wait to tell everyone on WhatsApp, however, there is a serious alarm to be launched and we'll also explain what it is: in the last few days, cybesecurity companies have detected a new WhatsApp-themed phishing campaign.
This is a scam at least as old as the hoax of the message, but the risks are real. Cybercriminals are again sending thousands of emails saying that the user's WhatsApp profile is expiring and you have to pay to renew it: it's obviously fake and the real goal of the scam is to convince the user to enter their credit card information to empty their bank account. Pass it around.