Yes, it is difficult to believe, but it is true. WhatsApp is facing this threat. The secretive Israeli company, NSO Group, has developed a malicious code to transmit it through phone calls. The malicious code gets transmitted to the target smartphone, even if the call is not answered. Soon after the smartphone gets the calls, the history of the phone’s WhatsApp calls does not show the hacker’s call in the call log.
What happens after receiving the hackers’ call?
The dangerous call starts doing its work within a few minutes after reaching the target phone. After getting the call or even after the missed call, due to malicious spyware, the phone starts to reveal the encrypted content. This opens the doors to expose sensitive information such as location, private keys, passwords, intimate messages. The malicious spyware has the capability to operate the phone’s camera to get live information on anything the hacker desires. The malicious spyware is the latest upgrade to a ten-year-old technology which is used by the Israeli defense ministry. Unfortunately, hackers are not yet been identified.
The company said-
The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems.
WhatsApp Urges for an update and the related challenges:
Advertisement
There is not much being said by the company about the hack, but WhatsApp has urged the user-base to update the software. The company is looking into the matter. As of now, it is too early to give out the exact number of people affected by the threat, as per the company.
On the other hand, as per- Wandera- a smartphone Security Company, a surprising number of users have failed to update their app. Wandera found out that 80.2 percent of iOS users and 55.4 percent of the devices the company manages have failed to update themselves.
The NSO Group’ take on the situation:
The NSO Group has made its stance clear by saying,
Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. NSO’s technology is licensed to authorized government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror. The company does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions.
Advertisement
It further added that the group is “solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.”
