WhatsApp bug lets people edit your texts as experts warn ‘bin the app now’
, Digital Technology and Science ReporterCYBER-CRIMINALS could hack into your WhatsApp and manipulate message content and the names of message senders despite this flaw being discovered a year ago.2As the owner of WhatsApp, Facebook was alerted to the issue last August by researchers at security software company Check Point but has failed to resolve it.
"Clearly Facebook have their own, probably commercial, reasons for allowing these vulnerabilities to remain on the WhatsApp platform but since they don’t seem overly concerned, it’s down to the user community to apply a little critical thinking to their online activities. Check Point has now launched a tool that will allow users to carry out WhatsApp manipulations in what they say is a bid to raise greater awareness of the issues.He explained: "Instant messaging is a vital technology that serves us day-to-day, we manage our private and professional life on this platform and it’s our role in the infosec industry to alert on scenarios that might question the integrity.
Both the other manipulations are connected to the "quote function" that allows a user to repost a message when they are replying to it. Eoin Keary, CEO and co-founder of edgescan, told us: "One valid reason for such a delay is that architectural or design flaws are generally difficult and take much longer to address.
"The delay in addressing the security bug might be due to a combination of these factors: the difficulty of the task and fact the company hasn’t made it one of its priorities."However, as the flaw is still ongoing there doesn't seem to be a way to completely protect your messages and group chats and this is why some experts are just recommending using a different messaging app altogether until the flaws are fixed.
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