So you are using WhatsApp, and have kept your privacy mode offline, and you think you are invisible? Well, think again! WhatsApp has a serious privacy flaw and this needs to be fixed by the developers as soon as possible.
WhatsApp users are at the risk of being exposed of their privacy. Maikel Zweerink, a Dutch software developer, has revealed to public that the social networking app can seriously expose the user’s privacy. He has released a hacking tool, a proof of concept, which highlights the flaw in WhatsApp’s privacy settings. His software tool has revealed that even a hacker without a WhatsApp account, can monitor the activities of a WhatsApp user even if he or she has turned on the privacy settings.
The tool, WhatsSpy Public, requires an SIM Card or non-Whatsapp used phone number and some other resources. WhatsSpy Public is a web-oriented application that tracks every move of whoever you like to follow. This application is setup as a Proof of Concept that Whatsapp is broken in terms of privacy. Once you've setup this application you can track users that you want to follow on Whatsapp. Once it's running it keeps track of the following activities:
- Online/Offline status (even with privacy options set to "nobody")
- Profile pictures
- Privacy settings
- Status messages
Maikel stated, “I made this project for you to realise how broken the privacy options actually are. It just started out as experimenting with WhatsApp to build a Bot, but I was stunned when I realised someone could abuse this "online" feature of WhatsApp to track anyone. I could just say this in like a blog article (like I tried but got marked as spam) that the privacy options are broken, but you wouldn’t realise the impact it actually has.”
The tool was not meant for hacking purposes, but he accidentally stumbled on the privacy flaw which could be abused by anyone who may discover it. Sadly, WhatsApp has also scored a 5 on 7 in security and privacy flaws, in a research carried by Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Also read: WhatsApp, BBM, not secure as you think
