A WHATSAPP bug allowing people to bypass the app’s ‘View Once’ feature has been fixed – but users will need to update their app.
The loophole allowed users to access photos and videos that should have vanished after one viewing.
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The Meta-owned messenger, used by two billion people worldwide, was alerted to the issue by cybersecurity researcher Ramshath last week.
The security flaw, which only impacted iPhone users, allowed anyone to see ‘View Once’ content in the stored media section of their app Settings.
WhatsApp has released a fix in an updated version of the iOS app, titled 25.2.3.
While the flaw has been patched up, Ramshath said in a Medium post that it has “significant privacy implications” and could spark “trust issues” among users who rely on the feature to share private media.
“Features that promise privacy should deliver on their word,” said Ramshath. “Anything less puts user confidence at risk.”
The View Once feature, introduced in 2022, means certain media and messages cannot be reopened, screenshot, or screen recorded.
Content sent under the ‘View Once’ feature will automatically disappear from chats after being opened for the first time.
A separate but similar ‘View Once’ loophole emerged last year, when hackers were able to save and share copies of private media.
Cybersecurity researchers at Zengo discovered that hackers could turn off the View Once feature after the content has been sent.
This allowed the media to be downloaded, forwarded and shared.
The cyber flaw, believed to have been actively used by cyber crooks, existed for over a year before being publicly reported, according to Zengo’s chief technology officer, Tal Be’ery.
WhatsApp fixed the other ‘View Once’ flaw last year.
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