According to recent reports, the total number WhatsApp users has crossed million and is on its way to the billion mark. But the recent updates about the new bug in the App is some what disturbing.
After a shocking revelation we learned that a bug in the popular messaging service WhatsApp has put up to 200 million of its users at risk. This is due to particular flaw in the app that allows the hackers to distribute malware, including ransom-ware (which demands victims pay a fee to regain access to their files). Fortunately, this flaw only affects web-based version of the App.
What is WhatsApp Web?
It is a mirror version of its mobile app, enabling all messages, images and other content received on a smartphone to be accessed from a web browser.
There are currently over 200 million active users of the web app, according to statistics released by the firm this year. This compares to 900 million users of the smartphone app.
How does this bug affect?
The main reason behind this vulnerability is that due the way the WhatsApp service handles contacts sent in the vCard (virtual card) format. All a hacker needed to do to send a virtual business card that looked legitimate was know their target’s mobile number. Once opened the vCard could distribute malicious code. This particular drawback makes easy for hackers to get hold of mobile numbers that have been disclosed via other breaches.
“Bearing in mind that WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app, the chances of you opening a vCard sent to you is quite high. Once opened it could attempt to download and infect your system with ransom-ware,” commented Mark James, a specialist at security firm ESET.
