WhatsApp has invited its more than 1.5 billion users to update its application as soon as possible, after having discovered a security problem that can be exploited to obtain partial remote control of their smartphone and some of its data. According to a Financial Times investigation, the software (“spyware”) to exploit the WhatsApp flaw was developed by NSO Group, an Israeli company with rather mysterious activities, which is engaged in producing cyber surveillance systems for several governments.
The vulnerability had been discovered in early May and had been exploited for targeted attacks, the most recent of which took place on Sunday 12 May, according to researchers from Citizen Lab, an organization that studies the security and surveillance systems that can constitute a danger to human rights. From the data collected, it seems that the WhatsApp problem could be used to activate Pegasus, the most famous NSO program, used by several governments for their anti-terrorism and telecommunications control activities on smartphones.
The activation of the software could take place through a simple WhatsApp call, without having to answer it. Pegasus usually allows you to gain control of various features of a smartphone, from the camera to its microphone, and to detect information between messages and the user's location. The security problem of WhatsApp exploited to activate it was found on both Android and iOS, the operating system of the iPhones. For this WhatsApp has invited to update the application as soon as possible, even if in its press release it has not provided many other details:
WhatsApp invites users to update their application to the latest version, as well as to keep their smartphone operating system up to date, to protect themselves from potential targeted attacks designed to compromise the information stored on their mobile devices.
To the Financial Times, WhatsApp confirmed that from the first analyzes the attack: “It has all the characteristic traces of a private company known for collaborating with governments to provide spyware to gain control of smartphone operating systems”. WhatsApp, which is part of Facebook, also said it is working with some human rights organizations, with which it is exchanging information to better understand the scale and gravity of the situation.
NSO has long advocated selling Pegasus and providing assistance to governments and spy agencies, especially for their anti-crime and terrorist activities. The problem is that its systems are often used for different purposes, for example as part of programs to spy on the conversations of ordinary citizens or political opponents in countries governed by undemocratic regimes. According to independent research groups, Pegasus has in recent years been used by at least the governments of 45 countries to monitor dissidents, the work of journalists and oversee the activities of ordinary citizens.
How to update WhatsApp
iOS
To update WhatsApp on your iPhone simply tap the App Store icon, then the Updates button in the bottom bar and finally tap the “Update” button next to the WhatsApp icon. App updates on iOS are usually set to happen automatically, so your iPhone may do it by itself.
The latest version of WhatsApp for iOS is 2.19.51.
Android
To update WhatsApp on Android, simply touch the Google Play Store icon, then the menu with the three bars and choose My apps and games. Applications with available updates have a label that says Update. Just touch it to start the update. Also on Android there is an option for automatic application updates, so it may be enough to wait a few hours for WhatsApp to update itself.
The latest version of WhatsApp for Android is 2.19. 134.
