WhatsApp users in Luxembourg may need to update and verify their accounts after pure-play security vendor Check Point discovered the instant messaging app was susceptible to vulnerabilities which could compromise hundreds of millions of WhatsApp users.
The popularity of the WhatsApp is undeniable, with the company reporting they had reacher 900 million active users a month in September 2015. Of this, 200 million were estimated to use the WhatsApp Web interface, the web-based extension of the phone application which was found to be a potential source of vulnerabilities.
The WhatsApp Web application, abailable for most WhatsApp supported platforms, mirrors all correspondence, synchronising a user's phone and desktop computer to allow messages to be seen on both devices. Check Point security researcher Kasif Dekel unearthed significant weaknesses in the web application which exploit the WhatsApp Web logic and allow attackers to trick victims into executing arbitrary code on their machines in a new and sophisticated way.
The discovery was significant in that it revealed all an attacker needed to do to take advantage of a web application weakness was to send a seemingly innocent vCard actually containing malicious cose to a user. Once this was opened, the alleged contact would unleach bots, ransomware, RATs and other malwares.
In effect, all that was needed for an attack to be carried out was a phone number associated with the targeted account, opening up a vast world of opportunity for cybercriminals and scammers in the form of 'Whatsapp Phishing'. Mass exploitation of this vulnerability would have resulted in millions of unsuspecting users falling victim to such an attack.
"Thankfully, WhatsApp responded quickly and responsibly to deploy an initial mitigation against exploitation of this issue in all web clients, pending an update of the WhatsApp client," commented Oded Vanunu, Security Research Group Manager at Check Point. "We applaud WhatsApp for such proper responcses, and wish more vendors would handle security issues in this professional manner. Software vendors and service providers should be secured and act in accordance with security best practices. Check Point continues to be on the lookout for vulnerabilities in common softwarer and Internet platforms, disclosing issues as they are discovered, protecting consumers and customers against tomorrow's threats".
Photo by Check Point
