WhatsApp Woes: 3.5 Billion Profiles Exposed in Massive Data Breach!
Researchers have found a WhatsApp flaw that exposed 3.5 billion profiles, revealing the platform’s vulnerability to phone number enumeration at scale. Meta has patched the issue, but not before researchers uncovered details like timestamps and profile pictures. It’s a reminder that even with encryption, your data might still be playing peekaboo.
Hot Take:
Imagine waking up to find out that your WhatsApp profile was part of a massive 3.5 billion account leak. No, it’s not a new Netflix series; it’s real life! But don’t worry, Meta says your secrets are safe…for now, unless you’re still using that embarrassing profile picture from 2012. Time to update your “about” text and maybe double-check those privacy settings!
Key Points:
- Researchers from the University of Vienna discovered a flaw in WhatsApp’s architecture that allowed the enumeration of 3.5 billion accounts.
- The flaw enabled querying of WhatsApp servers with phone numbers, bypassing standard rate limits.
- Meta has patched the vulnerability, but the impact was significant, with many numbers from a previous 2021 breach still active.
- The research highlighted ineffective bans in certain regions and potential security lapses in key management.
- Meta claims that no private data was exposed, but the level of profile visibility was concerning.
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