Categories: THREATS

WhatsApp & Telegram Accounts Compromised By New Vulnerability that Allowed Hackers to Take over Hundreds of Millions of Accounts

Checkpoint Researchers Compromised Both Whatsup & Telegram chat applications which served by End-to -End Encryption.Both application designed with strong encryption that won’t allow to read anyone except the people who communicate originally.

Checkpoint Proved that the same mechanism has also been the origin of the new critical Vulnerability that allow to take over the entire chat conversation of the Victim for both online platform – “WhatsApp Web and Telegram Web” .

Checkpoint Researcher said ,

This vulnerability, if exploited, would have allowed attackers to completely take over users’ accounts on any browser, and access victims’ personal and group conversations, photos, videos and other shared files, contact lists, and more. This means that attackers could potentially download your photos and or post them online, send messages on your behalf, demand ransom, and even take over your friends’ accounts.

Image source :Checkpoint

How Vulnerability Take over the Victim’s chat

Main Attack Vector of this vulnerability exploit with attacker send the malicious innocent file to the Victim. the file forcing Victims to open it .

Researcher’s said ,The malicious file allows the attacker to access WhatsApp’s and Telegram’s local storage, where user data is stored. From that point, the attacker can gain full access to the user’s account and account data.

“The attacker can then send the malicious file to the all victim’s contacts, opening a dangerous door to a potentially widespread attack over the WhatsApp and Telegram networks.”

Whatsup Account Take over Demo

Telegram Account Take over Demo

Whatsup and Telegram blindly Left to Prevent the Malicious content for being send without Validated was the Main Reason for this Vulnerability Exist , Checkpoint said .

March 7th. Check Point disclosed this information to WhatsApp’s and Telegram’s security teams on Both companies have verified and acknowledged the security issue and developed a fix for web clients worldwide.

Check Point Security Tips

While WhatsApp & Telegram have patched this vulnerability, as a general practice we recommend the following preventive measures:

Periodically clean logged-in computers from your WhatsApp & Telegram. This will allow you to control the devices that are hosting your account, and shut down unwanted activity.
Avoid opening suspicious files and links from unknown users.

View For More Technical Details : Check point Blog

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Balaji

BALAJI is an Ex-Security Researcher (Threat Research Labs) at Comodo Cybersecurity. Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder - Cyber Security News & GBHackers On Security.