JAKARTA - The WhatsaApp instant messaging application has recently been vulnerable to data leak problems. This kind of problem also endangers the security of the user's cellphone number.
Based on a report from Cybersecurity researcher Athul Jayaram, found an error or bug on WhatsApp because thousands of user numbers were accidentally searched on the Google search engine. An estimated 29,000 cell phone numbers have been leaked on Google Search in text form.
This can be found when the user uses the Click to Chat feature, which makes the application synchronize the user's phone number which anyone can find on Google.
"When phone numbers are leaked or hacked (hackers) can be used to commit fraud or simply spam," said Jayaram as quoted by Mashable India, Tuesday, June 9.
Claimed, this bug has infected users throughout India, UK, United States (US) and other countries. However, WhatsApp has stated that it is not a big deal and results from phone numbers only appear if the user has chosen to make it public.
It is known, the Click to Chat feature allows users to start WhatsApp chats with other users without saving their phone number on their cellphone. This feature can also be used on the WhatsApp website version.
"While we appreciate this researcher's report and appreciate the time he took to share it with us, it does not qualify for the reward as it only contains a search engine index of the URL that WhatsApp users choose to publish. All WhatsApp users, including businesses, can block messages that are posted. undesirable at the tap of a button, "said a WhatsApp spokesperson.
Earlier a few months ago, another bug was discovered by a journalist at DW News. In that error, the WhatsApp invitation link for WhatsApp Groups can be indexed by Google, so that the private group link is available on Google which can be used by the public as well.
In December 2019, cyber security researchers saw a vulnerability in the application that could cause WhatsApp to stop operating simultaneously for several users in a shared group.
The vulnerability causes the app to stop unexpectedly and forces users to reinstall the app. But users will lose chat history forever.
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