Recently, a group of Check Point investigators discovered a new severe vulnerability in WhatsApp browser versions as well as Telegram. If you use these services, upgrade to the latest version. At an International Conference on Cybersecurity held at the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, the security firm Check Point’s Rui Duro revealed that WhatsApp and Telegram messaging services had a vulnerability that allowed attackers to take complete control over Victims’ accounts, and access all personal and group conversations as well as including the photos, contact lists, videos, and other files shared from any device. The research director of the security firm Check Point, Oded Vanunu stated about the vulnerability discovered “By uploading a seemingly harmless photo, a cybercriminal can track a user’s account, access message history, view and download all shared photos, and send messages on behalf of the victim”. The vulnerability discovered, and already corrected by the developers, allows the cybercriminals to send hidden malicious code into a harmless-looking image. Once the user clicks on the photo opens the full access to the data stored in WhatsApp or Telegram. The cybercriminal can even send the malicious files to all contacts of the victim, potentially allowing a large-scale attack. The security firm Check Point revealed that they already alerted about this finding to the WhatsApp and Telegram security teams on March 8th. Both the companies recognized the security issue and developed a solution for web clients around the world. However, if you are a user of WhatsApp Web and Telegram then it strongly advised to you to use the latest version available by restarting your browser.
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