A well-liked and simple-to-use texting program is WhatsApp. It offers several security measures, such as end-to-end encryption, that work to protect the confidentiality of your communications. Despite these strong security precautions, WhatsApp is still susceptible to attacks that might jeopardize the confidentiality of your messages and contacts.
If you're persistent enough, you can discover a tonne of “How to hack WhatsApp” tips online, so don't take our word for it.
We can avoid compromising ourselves if we are just aware of our weaknesses, since knowledge is half the battle. Here are a few methods for hacking WhatsApp to do that.
1-Remote Code Execution via GIF
Security researcher Awakened uncovered a WhatsAppflaw in October 2019 that allowed hackers to take control of the application using a GIF picture. When a user uses the Gallery view to share a media file, WhatsApp processes photographs in a certain way that is exploited by the hack.
When this occurs, the software analyses the GIF to provide a file preview. Because they include many encoded frames, GIF files are unique. As a result, code may be concealed within the picture.
A user's whole conversation history may be compromised if a hacker sent them a malicious GIF. The users' chat history and the messages they exchanged would be visible to the hackers. Users' data, pictures, and videos sent using WhatsApp were also visible to them.
WhatsApp versions up to 2.19.230 on Android 8.1 and 9 were vulnerable. Thankfully, Awakened responsibly exposed the vulnerability, and Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, resolved the problem. You should keep WhatsApp updated at all times if you want to protect yourself against this issue and others like it.
2-The Pegasus Voice Call Attack
The Pegasus voice call exploit was a further WhatsApp vulnerability identified in the first few months of 2019.
In this alarming exploit, hackers might gain access to a device by making a simple WhatsApp phone call to their victim. The assault could still be successful if the victim didn't answer the call. And it's possible that the victim isn't even aware that malware has been put on their device.
This functioned via a technique called a buffer overflow. Here, code is intentionally crammed into a tiny buffer to the point that it “overflows” and writes to a region the attacker shouldn't be able to reach. When a hacker has access to code in a place that ought to be safe, they might act maliciously. Pegasus, an older and well-known spyware program, was installed as a result of this attack. Hackers were able to get information on phone conversations, texts, pictures, and videos as a result. They could even use it to turn on cameras and microphones, so they could record.
On Android, iOS, Windows 10 Mobile, and Ti zen devices, this vulnerability is present. For instance, the Israeli company NSO Group, which has been charged with snooping on Amnesty International employees and other human rights activists, used it. As soon as word of the breach spread, WhatsApp was modified to fend off such an assault.
You need to upgrade WhatsApp right away if it is running version 2.19.134 or earlier on Android, or version 2.19.51 or older on iOS.
3-Socially Engineered Attacks
Socially engineered assaults, which take advantage of psychological flaws in people to steal information or disseminate false information, are another method you may have your WhatsApp account compromised.
One instance of this assault was made public by the security company Check Point Research, and it was dubbed Fakes App. This made it possible for users to modify the wording of another user's reply and abuse the group chat's quotation function. In essence, hackers might insert false remarks that seem to be made by other trustworthy individuals.
The researchers were able to do this by decrypting WhatsApp messages. They could view information transmitted between WhatsApp's mobile app and website because of this.
They might modify values in group conversations from this point on. They might then send communications appearing to be from other people by impersonating them. They might alter the text of responses as well.
Worrisome ways of using this to promote fraud or false information are possible. According to Z Net, the researchers talked at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas in 2019, even though the vulnerability was first discovered in 2018. Therefore, you must have the ability to spot WhatsApp scams and occasionally remind yourself of these warning signs.
4-Media File Jacking
Telegram and WhatsApp are equally impacted by media file jacking. This exploit makes use of the way media assets, such as images or movies, are received by apps to write those files to the device's external storage.
The virus is first installed as part of the assault within an app that first appears to be secure. Then, Telegram or WhatsApp can keep an eye on incoming files. The virus could replace the genuine file with a phony one when a new file is received.
The issue's discovery firm, Symantec, hypothesized that it may be exploited to con individuals or disseminate false information.
But there is a simple solution to this problem. You should check under Settings and select Chat Settings when using WhatsApp. Next, locate the Save to Gallery option and confirm that it is turned off. You will be shielded from this vulnerability as a result. However, a real solution to the issue will need app developers to fundamentally alter how apps handle media files going forward.
5-Facebook Could Spy on WhatsApp Chats
WhatsApp said in an official blog post that Facebook cannot access WhatsApp content because of its end-to-end encryption:
Gregorio Z anon, a developer, contends that this is not precisely accurate. Although WhatsApp utilizes end-to-end encryption, not all communications remain private despite this. Apps can access files in a “shared container” on operating systems like iOS 8 and above.
The WhatsApp and Facebook applications use the same device container. Additionally, while conversations are encrypted when they are sent, they may not always be encrypted on the device from which they originated. This means that the Facebook app may be able to steal data from WhatsApp.
There is no proof that Facebook has accessed private WhatsApp communications through shared containers. However, the opportunity exists. Even with end-to-end encryption, Facebook's all-encompassing net may still be able to access your messages.
6-Paid Third-Party Apps
On smartphones, the WhatsApp, and Facebook applications use the same container. Chats are also encrypted when they are sent, although they may not be on the device from which they originated. As a result, it is possible that the Facebook app will steal data from WhatsApp.
There is no evidence to suggest that Facebook has accessed private WhatsApp messages via shared containers. However, it has the potential. Your messages could not be secure from Facebook's all-encompassing net, even with end-to-end encryption.
Your WhatsApp account can be easily hacked by programs like Spyzie and mSPY to obtain your personal information. All that's required is for you to buy, download, and activate the app on the target phone. Then, you may unobtrusively log in to your app dashboard through a web browser and access private WhatsApp information like messages, contacts, status updates, etc. Of course, we do not urge anyone to do this!
7-Fake WhatsApp Clones
An ancient hacking technique that is being used by cybercriminals worldwide is using false website clones to install malware. Malicious websites are what these clone sites are called.
Now, Android systems may be penetrated using the same hacking strategy. A WhatsApp clone, which can appear quite identical to the genuine app, will likely be installed before an attacker attempts to breach your account. Consider the WhatsApp Pink scam as an example. It is a clone of the original WhatsApp and promises to alter the backdrop color from the default green to pink.
The way it works is that a user who is unaware of the scam is sent a link to download the WhatsApp Pink app to alter the background color of their app. Additionally, even while the software does change the background color of your app to pink, as soon as you install it, it will begin gathering data from all of your phone's files, including everything else than WhatsApp.
8-WhatsApp Web
For someone who uses a computer for most of the day, WhatsApp Web is a useful tool. Users of WhatsApp may access it easily, eliminating the need for them to constantly pick up their phones to send messages. A better user experience is also provided by the large screen and keyboard.
But here's the disclaimer. Even though the web version is convenient, it can be used to easily hack into your WhatsApp chats. When using WhatsApp Web on someone else's computer, this risk exists. Therefore, even after you close the browser, if the computer's owner checked the "keep me signed in" box during login, your WhatsApp account will remain signed in.
The owner of the machine can then easily access your information.
By making sure to check out WhatsApp Web before leaving, you may prevent this.
However, prevention is always preferable to treatment. The best course of action is to never use anything apart from your personal computer to access WhatsApp on the web.
9-Exporting Your Chats
This isn't the standard technique described in tutorials on “how to hack someone's WhatsApp." This approach just needs physical access to your smartphone, unlike some other techniques, which involve quite a bit of complexity or simply take advantage of psychological gaps.
And no, the hacker just requires a brief period with your phone; a few seconds will do. They have time to export your communications to a location they can access later because of this. Anything might be it: a cloud storage account, a chat service, or even an email account.
Once they have your phone, a hacker only needs to move to a particular chat, click on the Export chat option, and then choose where they want to save your message history.
The answer? Keeping your phone out of sight and out of reach of strangers is the surest way to stay safe. Additionally, you can decide to make WhatsApp fingerprint-lockable. This is how:
1-Head to Accounts > Privacy > Fingerprint lock.
2-Toggle the Unlock with fingerprint option on, and set the lock activation too Immediately.
Now, every time your WhatsApp is picked up after inactivity, your fingerprints will be required to launch the app.
Stay Aware of Security Issues on WhatsApp
These are only a few instances of how your WhatsApp account may be compromised. Although WhatsApp has corrected some of these problems since they were made public, several vulnerabilities still exist, so it's crucial to be on guard. You need to brush up on WhatsApp security concerns to understand if WhatsApp is secure. Keep yourself informed at all times!