WhatsApp reveals attack by ‘advanced cyber actor’
Reports say service was targeted by an Israeli security firm
WhatsApp has suffered a “targeted” surveillance attack on its messaging service.
The messaging app, which is owned by Facebook and used by 1.5bn people worldwide, said the attack targeted a “select number” of users, and was carried out by “an advanced cyber actor”. It is an embarrassing development for the service’s owner, which has faced mounting criticism over privacy concerns.
According to reports, the attack was carried out by Israeli security firm NSO Group. Attackers were able to install surveillance software on to both iPhones and Android phones by ringing up targets using the app’s phone call function.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Guardian speculates on who might have been targeted, stating that the messaging app “uses end-to-end encryption, making it popular and secure for activists and dissidents”, while Sky News adds that the attack has “the hallmarks of a private company that works with governments to deliver spyware”.
Facebook previously announced plans “to merge WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram's software architecture, raising the question as to whether an insecurity in one platform will lead to holes across all three products”, The Daily Telegraph says.
WhatsApp says its engineers had worked around the clock in San Francisco and London to respond to the vulnerability. The company says it began rolling out a fix to its servers on and issued a patch for customers yesterday. It urges all users to update their apps as an added precaution.
The NSO Group is an Israeli company that the BBC says is described as a “cyber arms dealer”. Its Pegasus software can collect intimate data from a target device, including capturing data through the microphone and camera, and gathering location data.
Human rights campaigners in the Middle East have previously received text messages over WhatsApp that contained links that would download Pegasus to their phones.
Amnesty International says it has been targeted by tools created by the NSO Group in the past and has long feared an escalation in this activity.
“They're able to infect your phone without you actually taking an action,” said Danna Ingleton, deputy programme director for Amnesty Tech. “There needs to be some accountability for this, it can't just continue to be a wild west, secretive industry.”
However, NSO said in a statement: “Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published