How WhatsApp Messages Can Be Hacked – Guide

WhatsApp is a popular messaging app that has become an essential part of our lives as a communication channel. But a hacked WhatsApp chat is probably everyone’s worst nightmare. You can avoid it by knowing the methods that can be used to hack WhatsApp. So, all you have to do is take precautionary measures about it.

How WhatsApp messages can be hacked

Remote code execution via GIF

WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows users to send and receive messages. The vulnerability disclosed in October 2019 by Awakened allowed hackers to take control of the app using a GIF image. The vulnerability works by taking advantage of the way WhatsApp processes images when the user opens the Gallery view to upload a media file. When this happens, the app parses the GIF to show a preview of the file. GIF files are special because they have multiple encoded frames. This means that the code can be hidden inside the image.

If a hacker sends a malicious GIF to a user, it could compromise the user’s entire chat history. Hackers would be able to see who the user was messaging and what they were saying. They can also view users’ files, photos and videos sent by WhatsApp. Vulnerability affected versions of WhatsApp up to 2.19.230 on Android 8.1 and 9. Fortunately, Awakened responsibly disclosed the vulnerability and Facebook, the owner of WhatsApp, fixed the issue. To keep safe from this issue, you should always keep WhatsApp updated.

The Pegasus Voice Call Attack

WhatsApp is a messaging app that is used by millions of people around the world. It was discovered in early 2019 that there was a vulnerability in WhatsApp that allowed hackers to access devices by simply making a WhatsApp voice call to its target. Even if the target did not heed the call, the attack could still be effective. And the target may not even be aware that the malware has been installed on their device.

This exploit worked by exploiting a vulnerability in the Android operating system. By putting a lot of code into a small buffer, it caused the Android system to crash and allow the hacker to take malicious action. This attack installed an older spyware called Pegasus on the device, which allowed him to collect data about phone calls, messages, photos and videos.

WhatsApp is vulnerable to a hack that could allow attackers to spy on users. After news of the hack got out, WhatsApp was updated to protect users from this attack. If you are using WhatsApp on an Android or iOS device, you will need to update your app immediately. ..

Social engineering attacks

WhatsApp is vulnerable to social engineering attacks, which exploit human psychology to steal information or spread misinformation. A security company called Check Point Research revealed an example of this attack, which they called FakesApp. This allowed people to misuse the quote feature in group chat and to change the text of someone else’s reply. Essentially, hackers can plant false claims that appear to be from other legitimate users. Researchers could do this by decrypting WhatsApp communications. This allowed them to see the data sent between the mobile and the web versions of WhatsApp.

The vulnerability, which was disclosed in 2018, allows attackers to change the values ​​in group chats, impersonate other people, and spread scams or fake news. ..

Media file hijacking

WhatsApp and Telegram are two messaging apps that store media files on the device. This attack takes advantage of the way these apps receive media files, such as photos or videos, and writes them to the external storage of a device. ..

The malware is hidden inside a seemingly harmless application and can monitor incoming files for Telegram or WhatsApp. When a new file arrives, the malware can swap the real file for a fake one. Symantec, the company that discovered the problem, suggests it could be used to trick people or spread false news. ..

There is a workaround for this problem, but it requires you to change your settings in the WhatsApp app and make sure that the Save to Gallery option is off. This will protect you from this vulnerability. However, a true fix will require app developers to completely change the way they handle media files in the future.

Facebook can spy on WhatsApp conversations

WhatsApp has announced that because of its end-to-end encryption, it is impossible for Facebook to read WhatsApp messages. However, this is not strictly true. On iOS 8 and above, apps can access files in a “shared container”. This means that if Facebook wanted to read a WhatsApp message, they would have to access the files in the app’s storage and not just the messages themselves.

Facebook and WhatsApp use the same container shared across devices. This means that Facebook can copy information from WhatsApp. To be clear, there is no evidence that Facebook used shared containers to view private WhatsApp messages. But the potential exists. Even with end-to-end encryption, your messages may not be private from Facebook’s full capture network.

fake whatsapp clones

Malicious websites are fake websites that are used to install malware or break into Android systems. These clone websites look very similar to the original app, and can be difficult to detect. To hack someone’s WhatsApp account, an attacker will first try to install a clone of the app. If the clone is successful, the attacker can then use it to break into the victim’s account. ..

WhatsApp is collecting data not only from your WhatsApp, but also from everything else stored on your phone. If you don’t want this data collected, you can uninstall the app or change the background color of your WhatsApp app.

WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp Web is a nifty tool for anyone who spends most of their day on a PC. It offers the ease of accessibility to WhatsApp users as they will not have to choose up their phone again and again for messages. The large screen and keyboard also provide a better overall user experience. However, as useful as the web version is, it can easily be used to hack your WhatsApp chats. This danger arises when you are using WhatsApp Web on someone else’s computer.

WhatsApp on a personal computer is vulnerable to hackers if the computer owner has not checked the “keep me signed in” box during login. If you close your browser, your WhatsApp account will be signed out, but the hacker will still have access to your information. The best way to protect yourself is to avoid using WhatsApp on a personal computer altogether. ..

Exporting your chats

A hacker can access your smartphone if they have physical access to it. Just a few seconds is enough for them to export their messages to a location they can access later. ..

WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows users to communicate with each other by sending and receiving messages. If your phone is hacked, an unauthorized person could access your messages and data. To protect yourself, you should always keep your phone away from unknown hands and enable fingerprint lock to make sure only you can access your WhatsApp account. ..

Final note

WhatsApp messages can be hacked. ..