“There’s nothing a user could have done here, short of not having the app”
The malware was able to penetrate phones just through missed calls, using the app’s voice calling function, a WhatsApp spokesman said.
Hackers are always looking for flaws in apps and operating systems that they can exploit to deliver spyware. State-run intelligence agencies including the U.S. National Security Agency invest tens of millions of dollars in it. Google’s ProjectZero bug-hunting team scoured WhatsApp last year looking for vulnerabilities but did not find any. It was WhatsApp’s security team that found the flaw.
John Scott-Railton, a researcher with the internet watchdog Citizen Lab, called the hack “a very scary vulnerability.” WhatsApp, which has more than 1.5 billion users, immediately contacted Citizen Lab and human rights groups, quickly fixed the issue and pushed out a patch. The spokesman said WhatsApp also provided information to U.S. law enforcement officials to assist in their investigations.Although WhatsApp urged all users to update the program on their phones, only a minuscule percentage run the risk of being targeted by such malware.
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