ZEE Business
ZEE BUSINESS
हिंदी में पढ़ें  हिंदी में पढ़ें
Live TV
Live TV
  • India
    • Economy
    • Politics
    • Markets
  • World
    • Economy
    • Politics
    • Markets
  • Companies
    • Auto
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Pharma
    • Energy
    • Infrastructure
    • Media
    • IT
    • Telecom
    • Consumer Products
    • Aviation
    • FMCG
  • Personal Finance
    • Income Tax Calculator
    • Personal Loan Calculator
    • Car Loan Calculator
    • Home Loan Calculator
  • Mutual Funds
  • Technology
  • Automobile
    • Cars
    • Bikes
  • Small Business
    • SME
    • Startups
  • videos
  • photos
  • Authors
  • More ...
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • AUTHORS
Home » Technology News

Just a video call to hack your WhatsApp? Should you worry? Find out

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • GPlus
Just a video call to hack your WhatsApp? Should you worry? Find out
WhatsApp Video call: Security of an individual is in his own hands and the only way to stay secure is to simply assume that no matter how you are communicating, someone, somewhere is already snooping on it and hence act accordingly. Reuters
By Akash Sinha
Updated: Thu, Oct 11, 2018
03:03 pm
ZeeBiz WebDesk
RELATED NEWS
Beware! Your WhatsApp data is at risk due to this bug - Check remedy to nail it Beware! Your WhatsApp data is at risk due to this bug - Check remedy to nail it
WhatsApp trick: How to stop app from downloading photos automatically WhatsApp trick: How to stop app from downloading photos automatically
WhatsApp testing new algorithm to improve Status updates: How it will change your experience WhatsApp testing new algorithm to improve Status updates: How it will change your experience
WhatsApp Business: Beta version of new feature available on iOS WhatsApp Business: Beta version of new feature available on iOS
Facebook's Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram merger plan: How to keep your personal data safe Facebook's Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram merger plan: How to keep your personal data safe

These days, a majority of smartphone users have installed WhatsApp. This app is one of the most widely used social messaging apps across the world. The Facebook-owned app has over 1.5 billion strong user base which records over 65 billion messages daily.

Recently, a researcher has found that a bug in the Android and iOS devices has been allowing hackers to hijack user’s application with a video call. The vulnerability was discovered at the end of August 2018.

The vulnerability as described by the researcher was a  "memory corruption bug in WhatsApp's non-WebRTC video conferencing implementation."

What is the vulnerability?

The vulnerability is caused by a memory heap overflow issue which is triggered when a user accepts a malformed RTP packet via a video call request. This in return results in corruption and crashing of the application.

Only WhatsApp's Android and iOS clients are affected, as they're the only ones who use the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) for video conferencing. WhatsApp's web client is not affected because it uses WebRTC for video calls.

"The bug exists because WhatsApp uses the Real-time Transport Protocol for video calls. WhatsApp for Web was unaffected because it uses WebRTC for video conferencing. The researcher has published proof-of-concept code on the websites, and instructions also on how to perform the attack," said Manish Kumawat, Director at Cryptus Cyber Security.

A WhatsApp employee said there was no evidence that hackers actually exploited the bug to launch attacks. A Google spokesman also said the company was not aware of the bug ever being used in an attack before getting patched.

"Although this vulnerability has recently been discovered, it is not known for how long it has been out in the open. It is possible that certain malicious hackers might already be exploiting this while staying undetected," said Ankush Johar, Director at Infosec Ventures.

However, Whatsapp has recently fixed the critical bug in Android and iOS application. As per reports, the bug was fixed by Facebook in early October.

Should you worry?

"Although the vulnerability is patched now, users must take this a lesson and stay vigilant while interacting with unknown people especially over e-channels such as email, e-chat applications and social media," said Johar.

Security of an individual is in his own hands and the only way to stay secure is to simply assume that no matter how you are communicating, someone, somewhere is already snooping on it and hence act accordingly.

Watch This Zee Business Video

Though the company has fixed this critical severity bug and the details are now available in the public domain, users should update to the WhatsApp’s latest version on Android and iOS," said Kumawat.

Last month, an ESET researcher Lukas Stefanko had discovered two 'Open Source' type Android-based spyware which was enabling hackers to read WhatsApp chat, steal passwords and other important information. 

TAGS:
WhatsApp
RELATED NEWS
Beware! Your WhatsApp data is at risk due to this bug - Check remedy to nail it Beware! Your WhatsApp data is at risk due to this bug - Check remedy to nail it
WhatsApp trick: How to stop app from downloading photos automatically WhatsApp trick: How to stop app from downloading photos automatically
WhatsApp testing new algorithm to improve Status updates: How it will change your experience WhatsApp testing new algorithm to improve Status updates: How it will change your experience
WhatsApp Business: Beta version of new feature available on iOS WhatsApp Business: Beta version of new feature available on iOS
Facebook's Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram merger plan: How to keep your personal data safe Facebook's Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram merger plan: How to keep your personal data safe

LATEST NEWS

Telangana Budget: KCR government proposes unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month

Qlik to acquire Attunity for nearly $560 mn

PACL Refund Claim Online: Pearls investors must not do this - May not get any money

Unbelievable! Flipkart offers whopping Rs 35,000 discount on this smartphone in Mobile Bonanza sale

Knight Frank report: Buying home becomes easier on improved affordability across India

Indian Railways Ticket and Refund rules changed! New decision ends this money trouble faced by passengers

Aero India to celebrate 'Women's Day' on saturday

Taxpayers Alert! Check out these 8 new features at GST Portal: Here's how easy GSTR filing gets for you

Train passengers? IRCTC warns about these two unauthorized apps - this is what you should know

Modi govt Mudra Scheme: Get Rs 4 lakh loan to start this business

  • India News
  • World News
  • Companies News
  • Market News
  • Personal Finance News
  • Technology News
  • Automobile News
  • Small Business News
  • Income Tax Calculator
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Author
  • Rss Feed
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer

Latest Trending Updates

  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Income Tax
  • Bharti Airtel
  • NPA
  • Home Loan

Trending Topics

  • Farm Loans
  • 7th Pay Commission
  • Sanitary Pads
  • National Stock Exchange
  • GST

Follow us on

zeebiz
zeebiz

Partner Sites

  • Zee News
  • Hindi News
  • Marathi News
  • Bengali News
  • Tamil News
  • Malayalam News
  • Gujarati News
  • Telugu News
  • Kannada News
  • DNA
  • WION
Copyright © Zee Media Corporation Ltd. All rights reserved