WhatsApp
says its app allows mobile phones to be hacked via a missed in-app call.
The
malware, designed by Israel’s NSO Group, gaining access to the Android OS via
missed calls on the voice-calling function of WhatsApp as reported in the
article “WhatsApp
Discovers Spyware That Infected With A Call Alone”, Published Wednesday May
15, 2019, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The
numbers are scarce, but the number of infected may be in the millions, as a
missed call is quit a common occurrence. So too is making a WhatsApp call.
So
what can you do to protect yourself?
WhatsApp missed call
vulnerability - Just switch to Telegram and you'll be fine
Good
to note this was different from the hacking of WhatsApp back in August 8, 2018.
That
job, which was uncovered by CheckPoint Security, was done via unsuspecting
victims clicking on links as detailed in my blog article
entitled “How
CheckPoint Security says Hackers can read and send WhatsApp messages”.
So
how do you stop this? Simply put, you can't... you just have to do the
following:
1. Backup
WhatsApp
2. Delete
WhatsApp
3. Reinstall
the latest version from the Play Store or iTunes Store
This
vulnerability points to the possibility that the NSO Group may be targeting
voice notes or even recorded videos or audio uploads next, as those are also
easy to send around as predicted in You probably weren’t a target of the “WhatsApp
surveillance hack”, published 14 May 2019 by Zack Whittaker, Tech Crunch.
They
would only have to make it go viral to really take off.
So
just switch to one of many alternatives as listed in my blog article
entitled “Alternatives
to WhatsApp for Jamaicans as Facebook Messenger, Instagram to merge soon”,
such a Telegram which I currently use and you'll be fine.
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