New Delhi: Security hacks are on a rise. Malicious hackers are actively looking for flaws and vulnerabilities in tech platforms, particularly social media apps that would allow them to gain control of users’ personal profiles and use them to their advantage. At a time when cyber-attacks are on a rise Facebook is yet to fix three flaws in its social messaging app, WhatsApp, that can allow hackers to edit users’ sent messages.
During the annual Black Hat security conference that was held in Las Vegas, United States earlier this week security researchers from an Israeli cyber security firm Check Point demonstrated how malicious hackers can use vulnerabilities in WhatsApp’s platform to manipulate the contents of not only the messages sent in a personal chat but also in a group chat.
In a blog post, Check Point researchers Dikla Barda, Roman Zaikin and Oded Vanunu explained the three vulnerabilities plaguing the popular social messaging platform. The first vulnerability allows hackers to use the “‘quote’ feature in a group conversation to change the identity of the sender, even if that person is not a member of the group.” The second vulnerability, as the researchers explained, allows hackers to “alter the text of someone else’s reply, essentially putting words in their mouth.”
The third flaw, allows the malicious hackers to “send private messages to another group participants that is disguised as a public message for all.” This means that you might feel that you have received a private message in a group, but it will be visible to all the people in the group.
