Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 14-05-2019

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

It’s emerged that a vulnerability in Facebook’s messaging app WhatsApp has allowed attackers to inject commercial Israeli spyware by Israeli outfit NSO Group on to smartphones. 

Financial Times reports WhatsApp, which is used by 1.5bn people worldwide, discovered in early May that attackers were able to install surveillance software on to both iPhones and Android phones with nothing more than a missed call. 

According to the Financial Times, the malicious code could be transmitted even if users did not answer their phones, and the calls often disappeared from call logs. 

A WhatsApp representative, speaking to Ars Technica, said “…‘select number of users were targeted through this vulnerability by an advanced cyber actor. The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems.”

WhatsApp says that teams of engineers had worked around the clock in San Francisco and London to close the vulnerability. 

It began rolling out a fix to its servers on Friday last week and issued a patch for customers on Monday.

– Financial Times and Stuff SA