IPHONE users are being warned to update WhatsApp immediately following a cyber attack.
WhatsApp confirmed it had fixed the security glitch in its iOS and Mac apps on Friday.
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The attack targeted dozens of Whatsapp users and was labelled an “advanced spyware campaign” over a three-month duration, according to Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, who heads Amnesty International’s Security Lab, confirmed.
Ó Cearbhaill added that the bug was a “zero-click”, meaning the victim could do nothing to avoid the indiscriminate targeting of their device.
The attacker would then “compromise your device and the data it contains, including messages.”
The culprit is yet to be identified.
Global cyber crime is on the rise with 73 per cent of adults in the US recently reporting they had experienced an online attack.
Earlier this month, Whatsapp users were urged not to ignore a new alert that is designed to help them avoid scams.
The app will be adding an additional feature designed to protect users from group chat scams that could empty their bank accounts.
The new feature will affect anyone using the service who is invited to a group chat.
“When someone you might not know invites you to a group chat, the app will display a new ‘safety overview’ that appears before you can even see the messages,” reported The Verge,
“The overview will include information about the group, including when it was created, who invited you, and how many members it has.
“It will also include a warning to watch out for scams, as well as information on how to limit who can invite you to group chats on WhatsApp.
“Once you’ve viewed this page, you can choose to exit the group without even looking at the chat or view the chat for more information.”
The feature builds upon the “context card” that WhatsApp rolled out last year, which shows key information about a group.
While context cards will appear for all the groups you’re invited to, WhatsApp’s new safety overviews will appear as an “interstitial” page when someone you might not recognise sends you an invite.
These overviews tie into WhatsApp’s broader initiative to combat scams, which have become increasingly prevalent.
A recent survey from the Pew Research Center stated 73 per cent of adults in the US say they’ve experienced a scam or attack.
In June, WhatsApp worked with Meta and OpenAI to take down a criminal scam center in Cambodia, which used ChatGPT to create text messages promising work to people who joined a WhatsApp chat group.
