The so-called 'worm' can only infect a person's phone if they receive the message themselves and click on the link it contains. These activate a hidden capability which means when the phone receives a WhatsApp message it will instantly reply with a link to the dodgy site. The worm automatically sends a message to a person who has messaged the user via WhatsApp. Only download apps that are on the legitimate Play Store app. 'People must be extremely careful when receiving any link, but especially when the link is to what appears to be an app store.

Source: Daily Mail January 29, 2021 15:49 UTC