Facebook has been under target of spy-ware from quite a time, but after acquiring Whatsapp in 2014, users of the messaging applications have long speculated on how secure the platform would be from its new parent company’s data collection practices.
What users don’t know is, that they are being recorded, every call message and change in information is being recorded by a third party.
A company with the means to create powerful malware that could intercept protected conversations, as reported by the Financial Times on Monday. The reports further highlighted an Israel-based company was able to successfully install malware that could have been used for surveillance on phone calls made over the application.
Whatsapp confirmed this and of its app but did not name the perpetrator.
“WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices,” a spokesperson told in a statement. “We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users.”
News sources named Israel-based cyber security company, NSO Group, for the incident. WhatsApp has already indicated the attack looks as though it was conducted by a private company that works with governments to deliver spyware, and a select number of users were targeted.
News like these could raise serious problems for WhatsApp’s reputation, which is build on terms of privacy and security of the end-to-end encryption in its very popular texting and voice calling application.
Why this news is so important and have made users concerned is, End-to-end encryption means data sent via WhatsApp is scrambled in transit and only understandable by the party sending it and the party receiving it, whether the data is in the form of texts, pictures or voice conversations. It’s a major selling point for the application.
The company is fighting to maintain its reputation among the users, who are worried their data could be compromised not, only by the Israeli company, but by any other individual. This is tensed situation for the company as it could led to big leaks in data.
