Noticeable increase in security gaps in WhatsApp, some of which are classified as “critical”.
WhatsApp reports more security gaps than in previous years – The most important thing to start with:
- Hack of Jeff Bezos iPhone X as a trigger?
- Twelve security vulnerabilities reported in WhatsApp in 2019
- Experts suspect negligence on WhatsApp’s part
The security of WhatsApp is repeatedly questioned. A report in the Financial Times further stimulates this topic, which had already been raised again by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.
Jeff Bezos' iPhone hacked
According to Bezos, his iPhone According to Bezos, the RTI investigators he commissioned were unable to find out whether the vulnerability for the successful hack was in the iPhone X or WhatsApp. Facebook's Nick Clegg denied any responsibility and suggested "something must have affected the iOS operating system."
WhatsApp reports six times the number of security vulnerabilities
The US National Vulnerabilities Database (NVD) – an official directory of current and past software threats – recorded twelve security vulnerabilities for 2019. These were reported by WhatsApp itself. The label “critical” was assigned to seven threats.
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In previous years, WhatsApp had only reported one or two such gaps, which were only classified as moderately serious.
Experts suspect negligence
Marc Rogers, head of security at the world's largest hacker conference Def-Con, suspects that the sharp increase in numbers could indicate that WhatsApp has been too lax when it comes to the app's security. Experts therefore suspect that the gaps that have now been found may have been present in WhatsApp for a long time and were also exploited.
Other experts have also criticized Facebook's behavior and fobbing the matter off to Apple. Ron Gula, ex-NSA employee, accuses Facebook of irresponsibility and demands that it needs to independently find and fix gaps in the apps.
Facebook continues to plead not guilty
Facebook continues to deny responsibility. The increased reports to NVD are a positive signal from the group. They want to act more transparently and support security experts in protecting users from threats. In addition, all security gaps are said to have been fixed before the report.
Facebook also stands by its statements when it comes to Jeff Bezos' iPhone. Greater attention must be paid to the spread of spyware, which also exploits gaps in the operating systems of smartphones.
How did the spyware get on Bezos' iPhone?
Investigators were commissioned by Bezos, but they were unable to find any spyware on the smartphone. However, they suspect that the spyware infection must have come from an unencrypted media server in the WhatsApp network. According to the investigators, “Pegasus” from NSO from Israel or “Galileo” from the Hacking Team from Italy could be considered. These two malwares were noticed several times last year.
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Bruce Schneier, a well-known security expert, sees another possibility. Namely, that WhatsApp could be used as a “means of transport” to access gaps in the iOS operating system. If Schneier's assumption were correct, responsibility in Bezos's case would lie with Facebook and Apple.
Security researchers are calling for a closer investigation into the circumstances. It seems as if the findings of investigators commissioned by Bezos are not without controversy.
Source: t3n.de
Article image: Shutterstock / By Allmy
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