Nigerians have been warned about the TikTok video challenge virus

A new TikTok trend called the “Invisible Challenge” may expose devices to malware, according to Nigeria’s telecoms regulator.

Users are encouraged to record themselves while they are completely naked and then use TikTok’s “Invisible Body” filter to replace their body with a blurry background.

However, according to officials, some users have started adding links to videos that download viruses onto devices.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) claims that this leads to the theft of user data.

Attackers are drawing users’ attention by posting trend-related videos to TikTok with a link to a program called “unfilter” that purports to be able to remove the filter.

The hackers are hoping that by posting the link, people will be duped into thinking there is a naked body behind the video.

A new TikTok trend called the “Invisible Challenge” may expose devices to malware, according to Nigeria’s telecoms regulator. Instead, the NCC claims that anyone who clicks on the link or makes the attempt will infect their devices with the WASP or W4SP stealer virus.

Once downloaded, the malware has the potential to cause victims “critical damage” because it steals their sensitive data, such as passwords, financial transactions, and keystrokes from emails and chat programs.

The malware may be “capable of covertly collecting screenshots, video recordings, or the ability to activate any connected camera or microphone,” according to the Nigerian authorities.

Authorities have advised Nigerians to follow “healthy password hygiene practices,” avoid clicking on dubious links, and always use anti-malware software on their computers and mobile devices.

In recent years, TikTok users in Nigeria have rapidly increased, especially among young people.

Two TikTok celebrities in the northern state of Kano were given a whipping last month and made to clean the courtroom after making fun of a government official on social media.

One of about a dozen states in the area that practices the Sharia legal system alongside the nation’s secular laws is Kano State, which is located in northern Nigeria and has a majority Muslim population. Sharia courts can only hear cases involving Muslims.