All those users who are using the web versions of WhatsApp and Telegram are at the risk of being cyber attacked. Yes, you have read it right! A vulnerability which hasn’t been patched yet could allow hackers to gain control over accounts and access personal data using a malware-laced image.
Moreover, this security flaw can make hackers gain control of personal data such as contacts, shared files, as well as private messages.
Ironically, the exploit which can expose the personal info of users, utilizes the same encryption which is meant to protect user messages from espionage.
Technically speaking, WhatsApp and Telegram use an end-to-end encryption, designed to make sure only senders and recipients are entitled to view the content in the messages.
The negative side of this process is that it prevents the application in checking for malicious codes on the message contents. So, users who send malicious content in messages can easily creep into the security checks and disrupt the work functions of a smartphone or tablet.
It’s like laying a booby trap by sharing an infected file- say a meme image, with a malicious code and succeeding in the activity.
Israel-based company Check Point which offers cyber security solutions was the one to discover this flaw.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Telegram were informed about this flaw last week and their support team has taken a note of it.
Note- WhatsApp has more than a billion users and Telegram claims to have 100 million users till 2016.
And so, if someone on these platforms sends an innocent image to some user/group, then it can emerge into a big trouble within no time.
