Nigerians warned against TikTok video challenges

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned of the potential harm of participating in some TikTok video challenges, saying they could expose devices to information-stealing malware.

An advisory shared on Tuesday by the NCC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) said hackers had taken advantage of a viral TikTok challenge, known as the ‘Invisible Challenge’, to disseminate an information-stealing malware called the WASP (or W4SP) stealer.

“This malware may be capable of covertly collecting screenshots, video recordings, or the ability to activate any connected camera or microphone,” the advisory said.

It added that personally identifiable information (PII), including names and passwords, keystrokes from emails, chat programmes, websites visited and financial activity may also be harvested by the malware secretly monitoring user behaviour.

TikTok’s popularity continues to grow rapidly in Nigeria, especially among young people.

It is the ninth most popular social media app in the country, but has largely escaped the attention of regulatory authorities.

BBC Africa