Despite what some people think, it is possible to run WhatsApp on a rooted phone. Our research actually indicates that WhatsApp could run better on some rooted phones.
That means everybody needs to be real careful because many rooted phones have become infected with spyware or malware. If the phone has been rooted, there is a good chance it has also been hacked and some unsavory person has access to all the information on it.
The term rooted comes from the root permissions, the basic software that controls the Android operating system. When a phone is rooted, the permissions have been changed to allow the phone’s owner to do more than is normally allowed. An example of this might be to install applications that are not normally allowed on a regular phone.
Many people use rooted smartphones because system settings can be changed and many more extra features added to the device. There are actually quite a few people walking around with rooted phones in their pocket that do not even realize it. Many organizations provide their employers with rooted Android devices in order to add custom applications.
Others will root devices to run programs such as spyware that they are not supposed to add. A child might add a messaging application against his or her parents’ permission for example.
How to Use WhatsApp on a Rooted Phone
Generally, there should be no problem running WhatsApp on a rooted phone, because it is a cross platform solution that runs on many different operating systems. The only time rooting can affect WhatsApp is if it has been specifically blocked from the phone for some reason.
You will first have to check to see if your phone has been rooted or not. Most rooted phones employ an application called the Super User, or SU. The best way to tell if there is a Super User installed on your program is to run a root checker app such as Root Checker Basic.
This will automatically search your phone and tell you if there is a Super User installed or not. Root Checker Basic is free, and it is available from Google Play. If you have a Super User, your phone has probably been rooted.
How to Get Rid of Nefarious Super Users
Note: You should be careful if you find your phone has a Super User because there are some spyware programs, such as Truth Spy, which can be installed on rooted devices. These malicious apps can let somebody else read your WhatsApp Messages.
The best way to get rid of these devices is to use one of the many spyware removal apps available from Google Play. There are some excellent spyware removal apps out there, including Malwarebytes, SuperAntiSpyware, Spybot, and Spyware Blaster. All of these solutions are free and available through Google Play.
Rootkit Removers: Why You Need Them
An even worse menace is a rootkit, a collection of malicious apps designed to turn your phone against you. Some of these loathsome programs are even designed to target WhatsApp.
Fortunately, a wide variety of Rootkit Removers are available for free from Google Play. The best are Spyware Jedi, VirusImmune, Free AntiVirus 2015, and Root Toolkit for Android, all of which are available for free from Google Play.
If you detect a Super User on your phone, you had best run both a spyware removal app and a rootkit remover. You will need to run two apps because you will need to get rid of both the spyware and the rootkit that installed it in the first place. If you do not get rid of the rootkit, it will simply install more malware.
What to Do if You Think Your Phone Has Been Rooted
The first and most important thing you can do if you think your phone has been rooted is to not use WhatsApp Messenger on the phone until you can use a spyware remover and a rootkit remover. The reason for this is simple; if you use WhatsApp on a rooted phone, a bad guy or gal can read your messages.
If you cannot run the removers right away and you need to check your messages, your best bet would be to use WhatsApp Web through a computer with a good antivirus program installed. Be careful, though, because if malware is on your phone, there’s a good chance it will try to infect your computer as well.
Never assume that malware is not reading your messages just because WhatsApp is running perfectly. Many spyware programs are designed to run seamlessly with programs like WhatsApp. Some of them may even be using your camera and the microphone in your smartphone to spy on you.
How Malware Uses WhatsApp to Invade Your Phone
A wide variety of cyber predators, including fraudsters, are designing malware specifically designed to target WhatsApp, recent news articles indicate.
A common method is a fake voice message that invites you to try WhatsApp Free Voice Calling Feature. The problem, as Info-Security Magazine noted, is that there is no free WhatsApp Voice Calling Feature. Instead, the message is trying to get the phone user to go to a website that will download malware, including a rootkit to his or her phone.
This scam is apparently becoming even more sophisticated. Some of the voice messages or texts might even appear to come from a legitimate friend. For example, it might say that Joe wants you to try the new WhatsApp Free Calling feature. The danger is that the message did not come from your friend Joe; it came from Joe the hacker, who wants to introduce your phone to his new rootkit.
Phone users need to be very careful because the message and the fake website that spreads it appear to be real WhatsApp products. Another loathsome scam offers users the chance to spy on their friends and loved ones’ WhatsApp messages. The problem with that app is that the only person the applications spy on is the individual that ordered it.
Every WhatsApp user needs to take steps to product himself or herself because more and more malware targeting WhatsApp is appearing each day. That means occasionally running a rootkit remover or malware remover app on your phone is always a good idea for WhatsApp users.