Facebook’s instant messaging app
WhatsApp has been hit with a security breach, which leaves users vulnerable to
malicious spyware being installed on their phones.
The company said it discovered
the breach this month and informed the US Department of Justice last week, as
well as its lead regulator in the EU, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.
A Facebook spokesperson urged
users to upgrade to the latest version of the app and keep their operating
system up to date, as a way to protect against threats designed to compromise
information stored on mobile devices.
“We are constantly working
alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help
protect our users,” the spokesperson told Reuters.
The Financial Times (FT)
provided details on the breach, reporting attackers were able to inject
commercial Israeli spyware on both iPhones and Android powered smartphones by
ringing users and targeting the app’s call function.
FT said the code was developed
by Israeli company NSO Group, and could violate devices even if users did not
answer their phones. Often, the calls would disappear from call logs.
WhatsApp, which is still
investigating the issue, said it was too early to reveal exactly how many users
had been affected, an FT source added.
