While WhatsApp Plus Original can be used safely, many believe this is the safest option since it does not appear in any official app store which makes it out of reach of normal safety protocols where other apps (like WhatsApp) would receive regular security updates. As a third-party app, WhatsApp Plus Original misses out on the dual protection of Google Play's built-in security protocols and WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption standards. Cybersecurity reports say that 1 in 3 users using third-party apps from unofficial sources are awash over malware or data breach and thus need to be careful.
The most important reason is that WhatsApp Plus Original does not provide end-to-end encryption. Official WhatsApp does the task of encrypting on your device and decrypts them only on the other end, preventing interception during transit but modified versions such as Whats App Plus Original may not have this protection. Without this property, mastering these messages is easier, and therefore the threat to users. Today — in our data-hungry world — privacy advocates like technology author Bruce Schneier are saying that “privacy is the right of every human being” while warning about the dangers still present when using an app without end-to-end encryption.
But the most used WhatsApp Plus Original user(s) is still choosing this one because of its large-scale customization features, advanced privacy settings, and media-sharing functionalities. To reduce potential risks, users must only download this app through reputable sites as downloading from untrusted sources can expose them to hacked APK files. These APK sites check the integrity of files, this reduces the chances of malware by ~20%, which is an added precaution.
Apart from this, users should also enable antivirus on their device and scan it regularly. The Good News: While Android malware will still be a problem, using antivirus protection brings that risk down by as much as 35%, so this is worth your time if you use third-party apps on the platform, according to a recent study.
As cool and attractive as these features may be, it is a forked app that does not guarantee the same level of security we have with the original WhatsApp. Users needs to balance these risks with any reward the app brings and determine whether the additional customization options and extended functionalities supplied by these add-ins are worth their potential vulnerabilities. While downloading whatsapp plus original from trusted sources and best security practices can minimize the risks but since it is a non-official app, nothing is 100% safe.