Global cyber security group Check Point has urged WhatApp users to make sure their app is updated, after it uncovered a new vulnerability that malicious users could use to crash the app, and eliminate group chats.<\/p>\n
Check Point Research responsibly disclosed its findings to the WhatsApp bug bounty program on 28 August 2019. WhatsApp\u00a0acknowledged the findings and developed a fix to resolve the issue, which is available since WhatsApp\u00a0version number 2.19.58<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Users should manually apply on their devices, the group said.<\/p>\n The vulnerability could allow a ‘bad actor’ to deliver a malicious group chat message that would crash the app for all members of the group. To regain use of WhatsApp, users would need to uninstall and reinstall it, then delete the group which contains the message.<\/p>\n To create the malicious message that would impact a WhatsApp group, the bad actor would need to be a member of the target group (WhatsApp allows up to 256 users per group). From there, the they would need to use WhatsApp Web and their web browser\u2019s debugging tool to edit specific message parameters and send the edited text to the group.<\/p>\n This edited message would cause a crash loop for group members, denying users access to all WhatsApp functions until they reinstall WhatsApp and delete the group with the malicious message.<\/p>\n Oded Vanunu, Check Point\u2019s Head of Product Vulnerability Research said: \u201cBecause WhatsApp is one of the world\u2019s leading communication channels for consumers, businesses and government agencies, the ability to stop people using WhatsApp and delete valuable information from group chats is a powerful weapon for bad actors.”<\/p>\n All WhatsApp users should update to the latest version of the app to protect themselves against this possible attack, he said.<\/p>\n “WhatsApp greatly values the work of the technology community to help us maintain strong security for our users globally,\u201d said WhatsApp Software Engineer Ehren Kret.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to the responsible submission from Check Point to our bug bounty program, we quickly resolved this issue for all WhatsApp apps in mid-September. We have also recently added new controls to prevent people from being added to unwanted groups to avoid communication with untrusted parties all together.\u201d<\/p>\n WhatsApp has\u00a01.5 billion users\u00a0and more than a billion groups, making it the most popular instant messaging app worldwide. Over 65 billion messages are sent via WhatsApp per day.<\/p>\n The Check Point Research team found the vulnerability by inspecting the communications between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Web, the web version of the app which mirrors all messages sent and received from the user\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n This enabled researchers to see the parameters used for WhatsApp communications and manipulate them. This new research builds on the ‘FakesApp’ flaws discovered by Check Point Research, which allowed group chat messages to be edited to spread fake news.<\/p>\n Watch the demo video of how the attack works below:<\/p>\n