WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over data-offer-url=”https://www.statista.com/statistics/260819/number-of-monthly-active-whatsapp-users/?srsltid=AfmBOooVewwxnbK5ybLNq8YwcuqkCTvwODzFXDchW1w5s45fFn0P5D8n” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://www.statista.com/statistics/260819/number-of-monthly-active-whatsapp-users/?srsltid=AfmBOooVewwxnbK5ybLNq8YwcuqkCTvwODzFXDchW1w5s45fFn0P5D8n"}” href=”https://www.statista.com/statistics/260819/number-of-monthly-active-whatsapp-users/?srsltid=AfmBOooVewwxnbK5ybLNq8YwcuqkCTvwODzFXDchW1w5s45fFn0P5D8n” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>3 billion users. But its ubiquity also makes it a target for attackers. In December, security researchers documented a new form of account hijacking called data-offer-url=”https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/whatsapp-device-linking-abused-in-account-hijacking-attacks/” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/whatsapp-device-linking-abused-in-account-hijacking-attacks/"}” href=”https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/whatsapp-device-linking-abused-in-account-hijacking-attacks/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>GhostPairing, which sees users tricked into linking an attacker’s browser to their WhatsApp device.
Meanwhile, in November, Austrian researchers plugged billions of numbers into WhatsApp’s contact discovery tool to create “the most extensive exposure of phone numbers”…
