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Saturday 15 March 2014

Whatsapp Defends Android Security Flaw

Whatsapp is challenging the security report claiming weakness in it Android app, calling the threat “overstated” and the report inaccurate.
Whatsapp on Thursday said that reports of a security flaw in its system were “overstated”, earlier this week, Bas Bosschert an IT consultant released a report warning that an exploit in the app’s Android encryption would enable another app to access WhatsApp chat transcripts and use them for any purpose. The key to the hack, according to Bosschert, is that WhatsApp uses a phone’s SD card to store messages, which “can be read by any Android application if the user allows it to access the SD card.” However, WhatsApp denies that Bosschert’s methods are accurate, and said in a statement viaTechCrunch :
“We are aware of the reports regarding a ‘security flaw.’ Unfortunately, these reports have not painted an accurate picture and are overstated. Under normal circumstances the data on a microSD card is not exposed. However, if a device owner downloads malware or a virus, their phone will be at risk. As always, we recommend WhatsApp users apply all software updates to ensure they have the latest security fixes and we strongly encourage users to only download trusted software from reputable companies. The current version of WhatsApp in Google Play was updated to further protect our users against malicious apps. So whatsapp is saying is that it’s not a security problem from their side, that if we the users download malicious app that can access other information on the SD card, it puts us on the brink of losing vital informations ot hackers, Whatsapp data included.
So guys, like the solution proffered in the earlier article, when we are installing applications, please lets make sure we set the restriction by simply reading through the permissions and also like what Whatsapp said, we should download apps from trusted creators.


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