WhatsApp messages can be hacked 5 ways, Be secured!

WhatsApp messages can be hacked 5 ways, Be secured!

WhatsApp is a popular and easy to use messaging program. It has some security features, such as using end-to-end encryption to keep messages confidential. However, an invasion of WhatsApp may harm the privacy of your messages and contacts.

However, using WhatsApp also comes with risks, one of which is that it can be hacked. The truth is that piracy today is not difficult. You don't have to be a technical expert or computer specialist to hack an app like WhatsApp.

There are 5 ways to invade WhatsApp.

MxSpy

MxSpy is a simple app that is more than just power. It was developed primarily to spy on other smartphones, known as target devices and to provide you with all the data from this device. Once installed on a target device. The application will run in the background, along with the phone's operating system. This means that it will not be visible to the user, and cannot be detected by your antivirus software. Of course, the application can not be removed, even if the user returns the smartphone to the factory setting, while formatting the memory.

Pegasus Voice Call Attack

The WhatsApp vulnerability discovered in early 2019 is the penetration of Pegasus for voice calls. This frightening attack allowed hackers to access the device by simply making a WhatsApp voice call to their target. Even if the target does not respond to the call, the attack may still be effective. The target may not realize that malware is installed on their device.

This works through a method known as buffer overflow. This is where the attack intentionally places too many codes in a small buffer that is "overflowing" and writes the code to a location that it should not be able to access. When an intruder can run code in a location that must be safe, he or she can take harmful actions. In the case of this attack, he installed an older piece of spyware known as Pegasus. This allowed hackers to collect data on phone calls, messages, photos and videos. It even allows them to activate hardware cameras and microphones to take recordings. This vulnerability applies to Android, iOS, Windows 10 Mobile, and Tyson devices. It was used by the Israeli company NSO Group, which is accused of tracking down Amnesty International staff and other human rights activists. After the hacker press release, WhatsApp has been updated to protect against this kind of attack. If you run WhatsApp 2.19.134 or earlier on Android 2.19.51 or earlier, you need to update the app immediately.

File pulling media

The vulnerability that affects both WhatsApp and Telegram is the coverage of media files. This attack takes advantage of the way applications receive media files such as pictures or videos and write these files to an external storage device. The attack begins by installing a malicious piece of malware hidden inside an application that appears to be harmless. This malicious program can then monitor incoming files for Telegram or WhatsApp. When a new file appears, the malware can switch the real file to a fake file. Researchers who have discovered the case, Symantec, suggest that it can be used to scam people or to post fake news.

There is a quick fix to this problem. In WhatsApp, you must search the settings and go to the chat settings. Then look for the "Save to Gallery" option and make sure it's set to "Off." This will protect you from this vulnerability. However, a real fix to the problem will require application developers to completely change the way applications handle media files in the future.

Execute code remotely via GIF

In October 2019, Awakened security researcher revealed a vulnerability in WhatsApp that allows hackers to control the app using a GIF image. The hack works by taking advantage of the way WhatsApp processes images when the user opens Gallery view to send a media file.

When this happens, the application distributes the GIF to display a preview of the file. GIF files are special because they contain multiple encrypted frames. This means that the code can be hidden inside the image. If a hacker sends a malicious GIF file to a user, it can jeopardize the entire user history. Hackers will be able to know who the user was messaging and what they were saying. They can also view user files, photos, and videos sent via WhatsApp.

Social attacks

These exploit human psychology to steal information or disseminate false information. A security company called Check Point Research has uncovered an attack called FakesApp. This allowed people to misuse the citation feature in a group chat and change the text of someone else's reply. Basically, hackers are allowed to plant fake statements that appear to be from other legitimate users.

Researchers were able to do this by decrypting WhatsApp connections. This allowed them to see data sent between the mobile version and the WhatsApp version on the web. From here, they can change the values ​​in group chats. Then they can impersonate other people and send messages that appear to be from them. They can also change the text of replies.

These are examples of how WhatsApp can be hacked. While some of these problems have been corrected since their detection, others have not been corrected.