Update Your WhatsApp Now
WhatsApp users all over the world: update the app now . A vulnerability in the app allowed one company to install surveillance software on both iPhones and Android phones by calling users from within the app, regardless of whether or not they responded. Worse, once the call was made and the software installed, the call could also be removed from the log without leaving any evidence that the call ever occurred.
According to WhatsApp, a Facebook-owned app with over 1.5 billion users, it is currently unknown how many users have been targeted by the attacks.
According to the Financial Times , the attackers from the Israeli company NSO Group are responsible for the violation. The company is known for its Pegasus malware – presumably restricted to intelligence use – and can be used to collect data, including location, email, contacts, browser history, and the ability to turn on any user’s microphone and camera. NSO Group promotes this software for its ability to stop crime and terrorism.
WhatsApp learned of the hack earlier this month and has been urging users to update the app since Monday as a precautionary measure. “We have instructed a number of human rights organizations to share the information we can and work with them to notify civil society,” WhatsApp said in a statement.
The news comes after a British lawyer involved in a civil case between several Mexican journalists and government critics suing the NSO Group in Israel allegedly fell victim to the software.
It’s easy to upgrade; on iPhone, go to the App Store and click Update next to WhatsApp (or Update All if you want to update all applications). You must have version 2.19.51.
On Android, go to the Play Store, tap the menu, tap Apps & Games, tap Updates, and tap Update next to WhatsApp. You must have version 2.19.134.
If there is no upgrade option, you are most likely using the most recent version of WhatsApp.