Hacks

WhatsApp one of the largest instant messengers and considered by many a social network of its own. So, in continuing our app safety discussion, we’re diving into some of the top security hacks and questions many WhatsApp app users and parents may have. But first, what’s a security hack? In short, it’s an attempt to exploit the weaknesses in an app, network, or digital service to gain unauthorized access, usually for some illicit purpose. Here are just some of the concerns WhatsApp users may have and some suggestions on boosting security. WhatsApp Hack FAQ Are WhatsApp conversations private? Yes — but there are exceptions. More than any other app, WhatsApp offers greater privacy thanks to end-to-end encryption that scrambles messages to ensure only you and the person you’re communicating with can read your messages or listen to your calls. Here’s the catch: WhatsApp messages (which include videos and photos) are vulnerable  before  they are encrypted and  after...

A high-severity vulnerability could allow cybercriminals to push malware or remotely execute code, using seemingly innocuous messages. Security researchers have identified a JavaScript vulnerability in the WhatsApp desktop platform that could allow cybercriminals to spread malware, phishing or ransomware campaigns through notification messages that appear completely normal to unsuspecting users. And, further investigation shows this could be parlayed into remote code-execution. The desktop platform has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users. The high-severity bug (rated 8.2 on the CVSS severity scale) could impact those that also use WhatsApp for iPhone, if they don’t update their desktop and mobile apps, and if they don’t use newer versions of the Chrome browser. “A vulnerability [ CVE-2019-18426 ] in WhatsApp Desktop versions prior to 0.3.9309 when paired with WhatsApp for iPhone versions prior to 2.20.10 allows cross-site scripting (XSS) and local file reading,” acc...