The newly introduced Threads app becomes bait for hackers

Meta’s newly introduced microblogging platform, Threads, allowed malicious individuals to execute illegal campaigns. Based on reports, some entities have offered the new social media app on other services since it is still unavailable in European countries, China, and Russia.

Researchers explained that the app is unavailable for download in the official European iOS and Android app stores, but users could still acquire the app from other sources. Moreover, there are methods to use Threads on desktop computers despite the application needing to be deployed for such platforms.

This new app has garnered approximately 110 million new installs since its release earlier this month. However, the vast demand and restrictions have bred recent conflicts that malicious individuals could exploit.

 

App developers use “Threads” on their applications to get more downloads.

 

Some apps that exploit the Threads brand have begun to emerge on Apple’s App Store, which creates massive confusion among users.

One such app is called “Threads for Insta,” an actual content generator tool allowing users to make posts through AI-powered models. The app has now gathered more than 300,000 downloads.

Researchers said the app had not shown signs of being malicious, but its developer misused the Threads brand to get more downloads.

A separate researcher also warned users about 700 domains related to the new app that registered daily in the previous weeks. These domains offer an Android version of the app for download outside the Google Play Store. Some of these provided applications came from cloud-based file hosting services, like MediaFire.

However, the researchers could yet to detect malicious activity within the applications offered for download on these domains. Still, they monitor the situation to check if the site owners will change the file version or payload.

Users in countries still unable to get the new app from META due to restrictions should be wary. Scammers and hackers could exploit the popularity of Threads to deploy software products that could unleash malware that ends in credential theft. Therefore, users should refrain from downloading such apps from third-party or untrusted sources.