WhatsApp Messenger

Main article: Instant Messenger (IM)

This article is about messenger. Company article: WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger - Messaging software, free. Private commercial product for smartphones.

WhatsApp uses a modified Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP, formerly known as Jabber). During installation, an account is created on the s.whatsapp.net server, using the phone number as the user name (Jabber ID: [phone number] @ s.whatsapp.net). The Android version automatically uses the MD5 hash from the changed IMEI as a password, and the iOS version uses the MD5 hash from the MAC address.

WhatsApp automatically syncs the contact list with the phone's phone book.

A subscription for using the service was charged in the amount of ~ $1 each year, from the second year of use, or (for the Apple platform) a one-time payment when buying an application.

Audience

2022: 5-Year Market Share Decline from 51% to 44%

2021: Countries leading the way in messenger use

2020:2 billion monthly users

In February 2020, WhatsApp reached 2 billion monthly active users.

2018: Daily and monthly audience in Russia

2017: More than 1 billion people use WhatsApp daily

WhatsApp developers said in the summer of 2017 on the official blog that more than 1 billion people in the world use the communication service every day. The post said: "Last year we shared the news that a billion people around the world use WhatsApp every month. Today we are delighted and proud to inform you that one billion people around the world are using WhatsApp every day to stay in touch with their loved ones, friends and family.'

According to information published on the blog, the monthly audience of WhatsApp is 1.3 billion people, 55 billion messages, 4.5 billion photos and 1 billion video files are transmitted daily using the messenger.

2016:1 billion users

On February 1, 2016, in a blog post, the founders of WhatsApp announced that the service had overcome the bar of 1 billion users.

2024

In St. Petersburg, officials were banned from using Telegram and WhatsApp

Since September 2024, government employees have been St. Petersburg banned from using messengers Telegram WhatsApp to exchange official information. According to the information provided by the office of the vice-governor of the city, the decision is related to the need to ensure the protection of correspondence and data of civil servants from compromise, destruction or modification. Instead, it was proposed to use the Russian eXpress platform, which meets the requirements. information security More here

A priest from the Moscow region was sentenced to 3 years in prison for exchanging pornographic photos on WhatsApp

On July 18, 2024, it became known that the Zyuzinsky court of Moscow sentenced Archpriest Dmitry Kuvyrtalov, rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Letov, to three years in prison. The priest is accused of exchanging pornographic materials in the WhatsApp messenger. Read more here.

State Duma Deputy Nemkin: WhatsApp began to slow down in Russia

The deputy State Duma Anton Nemkin said that Russia the WhatsApp messenger began to slow down in certain regions. This became known on July 12, 2024. A member of the Information Policy Committee noted that this measure is used in cases where the regulator sees a need for this. The decision was made in order to ensure security.

According to the parliamentarian, the slowdown in WhatsApp (owned by the recognized extremist and banned in the Russian Federation Meta) has already been implemented in Dagestan. Anton Nemkin explained that this decision was associated with the anti-terrorist activities of relevant departments. Such measures are aimed at preventing threats.

Anton Nemkin said that Russia began to slow down the WhatsApp messenger

The deputy of the State Duma stressed that, despite the measures taken to limit the speed of the messenger, no official decisions were made to completely block it in Russia. This allows you to maintain access to the service for users.

The TASS news agency on July 8, 2024, citing its own source, reported that WhatsApp's work was also slowed down in Dagestan. The reason for such actions was called the ignorance by the administration of the messenger of calls for extremism.

Earlier, on July 7, 2024, users from several regions of Russia complained about malfunctions in the application. According to the Сбой.рф service, over 7,000 complaints about WhatsApp were recorded that day. Most of the appeals - 59% - came from residents of the Krasnodar Territory. Users from Dagestan accounted for 11% of complaints.

Anton Nemkin, representing the United Russia party, noted that slowing down the work of a foreign messenger is one of the tools for regulating its activities in the country. At the same time, the deputy did not specify whether it is planned to expand the geography of the application of this measure in the future.^[1]

Fraudsters began to massively hack Russian WhatsApp accounts

In June 2024 Russia , a sharp increase in the number of cases of hacking user accounts in the popular messenger was recorded. WhatsApp According to experts from the Office for Organizing the Fight against the Illegal Use of Information and Communication Technologies MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS in Russia, application vulnerabilities allow cybercriminals to access personal data of Russians, which raises serious concerns about the security of personal information.

According to experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the main problem is the low level of protection of the web version of WhatsApp. It is enough to follow a suspicious link, open a viral video or log in from a new device so that attackers can take possession of the user's account. After gaining access to the account, scammers can easily access personal correspondence and information, which poses a serious threat to user security.

In June 2024, Russia recorded a sharp increase in the number of cases of hacking user accounts in the popular WhatsApp messenger

In addition, according to experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, attackers actively use WhatsApp to commit various crimes - from calls on behalf of loved ones or government agencies to blackmail and extortion of money. To avoid such threats, experts recommend ignoring unknown links, messages and calls from dubious interlocutors, as well as not storing valuable information on the phone.

As the information security analyst at R-Vision noted, fraudsters use social engineering and phishing attacks to gain access to user accounts. Cybercriminals send messages with links to fake websites that look like official WhatsApp pages. Users, clicking on these links and entering their credentials, provide fraudsters with access to their accounts.

Ivan Lebedev, head of the phishing protection group at F.A.C.C.T., said the hacking of WhatsApp accounts was widespread. Cybersecurity experts regularly record individual resources to steal accounts in the messenger. The topic of phishing pages can be, for example, children's contests, which makes them especially dangerous.

Hacking WhatsApp accounts carries a number of threats to users. According to Angara Security, after the attack, scammers gain access to personal information, correspondence, media files and contacts. The victim herself can become the object of blackmail and extortion, as well as lose access to her data.^[2]

2023

Refusal to start channels in Russia after the threat of blocking

The WhatsApp messenger (owned by Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization, it is actively banned in Russia) changed its mind about launching the WA Channels service in Russia. This became known in mid-September 2023.

The product will not be available to users inside Russia in the near future, a Meta spokesman told The Moscow Times.

September 26, 2023 it is reported that the coming weeks WhatsApp will make it possible to create channels for all users, except for customers from Russia. This is due to the threats of blocking the messenger from Roskomnadzor and the State Duma. The Russian authorities threatened the service with blocking if it continued to develop in the direction of mass dissemination of information. When unfriendly and prohibited information appeared in the channels in the Russian Federation, Roskomnadzor promised to block the entire service.

Alexander Khinshtein, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, also announced the possible blocking of the messenger.

If WhatsApp really launches information Russian-language channels, it will be right to reconsider the attitude towards this messenger, up to its blocking, "Khinshtein wrote in his Telegram channel.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Digital Science Maksut Shadayev expressed optimism and said that "everything will be fine with the messenger."

The WhatsApp service reported the launch of channel creation in 180 countries. It is assumed that users will be able to confidentially post information in them, or receive it without control and censorship. WhatsApp said that "thousands of organizations, sports teams, artists and opinion leaders" are already creating their channels in the messenger.

WhatsApp announced the function of creating channels in June. It was originally available to major global media and organizations in Colombia and Singapore.^[3]

Yandex launched a call locator in WhatsApp

Yandex has launched a number identifier for calls in WhatsApp messengers (owned by Meta, whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) and Viber. The new functionality will help warn users about calls from scammers. This was reported in the Russian company on August 7, 2023. Read more here.

Telegram overtook WhatsApp for the first time in terms of traffic in Russia

Telegram for the first time overtook WhatsApp (owned by Meta, recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) in terms of traffic in Russia. This happened in 2022, Vedomosti writes on January 23, 2023, citing data from the largest Russian mobile operators. Read more here.

2022

Data breach of 0.5 billion users

In mid-November 2022, a message appeared on one of the famous hacker forums about the sale of an extensive database containing up-to-date information about almost 0.5 billion users of the popular WhatsApp messenger.

According to the attackers, the database includes information about the current mobile phone numbers of approximately 487 million WhatsApp subscribers. The leak affects messenger users in 84 countries. Of the total number of records, about 45 million are in Egypt, 35 million - in Italy, 29 million - in Saudi Arabia, 20 million each - in France and Turkey, 11 million - in the UK. Another 10 million phone numbers belong to Russians.

In support of the authenticity of the database, cybercriminals published a sample of approximately 2,000 numbers. Third-party experts confirm the relevance of this information. Moreover, the attackers claim that all the numbers in the database belong to active WhatsApp users. How exactly the information ended up in the hands of hackers is not clear. But the attackers themselves say that they used their "own strategy" to collect information.

According to statistics from Meta Platforms (recognized as an extremist organization; activities in the Russian Federation are prohibited), which owns WhatsApp, the monthly audience of the messenger is about 2 billion people. Thus, the database put up for sale contained information about every fourth subscriber of the service. Information can be used in various cybercriminal schemes, for example, for phishing, telephone fraud, financial deception, etc.

In this century, we all leave a significant digital footprint, and tech giants such as Meta must take comprehensive security measures and introduce means to protect personal data, experts say.[4]

As part of the omnichannel telecom solution for housing and communal services

Russian provider communication services Telfin"" announced on November 10, 2022 the development omnicanal of a solution for informing customers based on, integration PBX "Telfin. Office""" and Bitriks24 WhatsApp. This service improves the quality of service for residents and optimizes the work of management companies and. CONDOMINIUM More. here

Named the reason for the failure of the service around the world

On October 25, 2022, there was a global outage in WhatsApp. As explained in Meta Platforms (recognized as an extremist organization; activities on the territory of Russia are prohibited), the reason was a technical failure.

Problems with the availability of the messenger, in particular, the impossibility of exchanging text messages, were reported by users from all over the world. The failure affected including the United States, the Russian Federation, Great Britain, India, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Egypt and Israel. In total, at least 70 thousand complaints were received from different countries. According to Down Detector, many WhatsApp subscribers also experienced difficulties connecting to servers.

We know that people had difficulty sending WhatsApp messages today. We have fixed the problem and apologize for the inconvenience, "Meta said in a statement.

A spokesman also said the "brief outage was the result of a technical error on the Meta side." What exactly caused the problems is not specified.

Last time, a large-scale failure paralyzed the work of Meta services in early October 2021. Then users of the social network Facebook, the Instagram service and WhatsApp faced problems: these services remained unavailable for about five hours, after which their performance was limited for some time. Prior to this, a major failure occurred in March 2021: the functionality of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger was disrupted - more than 3.5 billion people around the world use these products in total. Against the background of numerous disruptions in the work of social networks and communication services, Meta began to grow the audience of competing services, including Signal and Telegram.^[5]

Ministry of Education bans teachers from using WhatsApp

The Ministry of Education has banned teachers from using WhatsApp and other foreign messengers in the educational process or in workplaces. Instead, it is recommended to switch to using the "VK Messenger." This became known on October 17, 2022.

Some schools convince to transfer parental chats from WhatsApp, but the Ministry of Education claims that they did not give such instructions. Experts believe that these are private initiatives. The Ministry of Education confirmed the sending of recommendations not to use foreign messengers, but stressed that they relate exclusively to working with the state system "My School" and its components^[6].

Moscow district police officer handed over the summons via video link

The 29-year-old Muscovite was handed a summons through a WhatsApp video call. This was announced in mid-September 2022 by the Mash Telegram channel. Read more here.

The ability to gain control of the phone

The opponent can get full access to everything that is on the phones of WhatsApp users. This became known on October 6, 2022.

This has become even easier thanks to a security issue that was revealed by WhatsApp itself. To gain control of the phone, it was enough for technical intelligence specialists to send a malicious video or start a video call over WhatsApp.

Military personnel/Mobilized/Volunteers do not need to throw off material/information on this messenger to each other. You put yourself and your mates in danger.

Dear wives/girls do not need to throw off photos/videos of their young people to friends and strangers, talk about what your young man is a special forces officer and where he serves.

Dear servicemen if a girl, under the pretext of acquaintance, begins to ask you where you serve/type of troops/photo/video IMMEDIATELY end communication and block and report to the employees of the DVKR and HRT^[7]

WhatsApp clones steal users' personal data

In stores applications for smartphones Android n, clones of the WhatsApp messenger began to actively appear, which are called its "improved" version. This became known on September 27, 2022.

The authors of such applications offer supposedly exclusive functions in comparison with the regular WhatsApp application. In fact, these programs contain a virus designed to monitor the actions of users.

The article says that if you use such applications, then there is no guarantee that personal messages or personal data will be safe and remain confidential.

WhatsApp officials said they would block users who downloaded a similar app. Google explained that they already know about the problem and remove dangerous clones from the app store^[8].

American banks will pay more than $1 billion for using WhatsApp for work purposes

On August 22, 2022, it became known that large US banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America will collectively pay more than $1 billion in fines for employees using unauthorized messaging tools, including email and applications such as WhatsApp.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has begun reviewing bank accounting practices related to the use of personal devices since 2021, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is also scrutinizing the issue, as the disclosure by banks suggests.

Here is a list of fines financial companies have already paid or are about to pay, according to the latest disclosed data:

In 2021, the broker-dealer subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase & Co was fined $200 million by decision of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the CFTC in connection with the massive failure to comply with the requirements to ensure the safety of employee correspondence on personal mobile devices, messaging applications, as well as emails. JP Morgan admitted that its actions violated securities laws.

This recovery is the first of a major enforcement action taken under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler.

Morgan Stanley has tentatively entered into an agreement to pay $125 million to the SEC and $75 million to the CFTC to resolve an investigation into accounting practices, the company said in July 2022. Morgan Stanley reserved $200 million in its second-quarter earnings to prepare to pay the fine.

In the second quarter of 2022, Bank of America also reserved about $200 million to settle litigation related to unauthorized emails from its employees. In late July 2022, the bank said it was in talks with the SEC and CFTC to settle the dispute.

Goldman Sachs is in "advanced talks" with the SEC and CFTC to settle investigations, the company said in its second-quarter report.

British bank Barclays said it had reached an agreement in principle to pay $200 million to US regulators, the company said in its half-year earnings in July.

Credit Suisse Group AG Credit Suisse in July 2022 announced the reservation of $200 million for litigation, mainly related to accounting rules.

Deutsche Bank announced at the end of July that it had reserved €165 million in additional reserves in connection with possible enforcement measures by regulators, in particular in connection with the SEC and CFTC investigations.

UBS Group said U.S. regulators are investigating the bank and other financial institutions regarding business communications.^[9]

Detection of backdoors in the system section of a number of budget Android models

On August 22, 2022, the company Dr.Web"" announced the discovery of backdoors in the system section of a number of budget models - Androidsmartphones that are counterfeits of devices of well-known brands. These trojans are aimed at executing arbitrary code messengers on WhatsApp and and WhatsApp Business could potentially be used in a variety of scenarios. attacks Among them are the interception chats and theft of confidential information contained in them, the organization spam of the distribution, as well as the implementation of various fraudulent schemes. However, this is not the only risk factor for users. For these devices, manufacturers have declared the presence of a modern and secure version. In OS Android fact, they have a very outdated version installed on them, which is susceptible to numerous vulnerabilities.

According to the company, in July 2022, several users appealed to the Doctor Web virus laboratory with complaints of suspicious activity on their Android smartphones. In particular, Dr.Web antivirus recorded a change in the system memory area, as well as the appearance of the same malicious applications in all cases in the system partition. The noted incidents are united by the fact that the attacked devices are copies of models of well-known brands. In addition, instead of one of the current versions of the operating system, the information about which is shown in the information about the device (for example, Android 10), they have a long-outdated version 4.4.2.

At least 4 models were affected: smartphones

• «P48pro»
• «radmi note 8»
• «Note30u»
• «Mate40»

The names of these models are consonant with the names of a number of models from well-known manufacturers. This, coupled with false information about the installed version of the OS, actually allows you to consider these devices as fakes.

Thanks to the function of monitoring the integrity of the system partition and tracking file changes in it, Dr.Web antivirus recorded changes to the following objects:

• /system/lib/libcutils.so
• /system/lib/libmtd.so

libcutils.so is a system library that in itself is not dangerous. However, it has been modified in such a way that any program starts the Trojan from the file when using it libmtd.so. A modified version of this library is detected by Dr.Web antivirus as Android.BackDoor.3105.

The libmtd.so Trojan Library was named Android.BackDoor.3104 by Doctor Web. The actions it performs depend on which application is using the libcutils.so library (that is, which one actually led to the launch of the backdoor through it). If these were WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business applications, as well as the Settings and Phone system programs, the Android.BackDoor.3104 proceeds to the second stage of infection. To do this, the Trojan copies another backdoor to the directory of the corresponding application (added to the Dr.Web virus database as Android.Backdoor.854.origin), which then launches. The main function of this component is to download and install additional malicious modules.

To load the modules, the Android.Backdoor.854.origin connects to one of several control servers, transmitting a certain array of technical data about the device in the request. In response, the server sends the Trojan a list of plugins that it downloads, decrypts and launches. The detected malware and the modules they download function in such a way that they actually become part of the target applications - this is their danger. As a result, they gain access to the files of the attacked programs and can read correspondence, spam, intercept and listen to phone calls and perform other malicious actions - depending on the functionality of the downloaded modules.

If the wpa_supplicant system application (it controls the wireless connection) was involved in launching the Trojan, then the Android.BackDoor.3104 starts the local server. It allows a remote or local client to connect and work in the mysh console program, which must first be installed on the device or initially present in its firmware.

The most likely source of the appearance of malicious applications in the system section of attacked devices could be a representative of the well-known family of Trojans Android.FakeUpdates over the years. Attackers embed them in various system components - a firmware update program, a settings application or a component responsible for the graphical interface of the system. In the process, they execute a variety of Lua scripts, with the help of which, in particular, they are able to download and install other software. It was such a Trojan program - Android.FakeUpdates.1.origin - that was identified on one of the target smartphones.

To avoid the risk of facing the actions of these and other malicious applications, Dr.Web recommends that users purchase mobile devices from official stores and trusted suppliers, use antivirus, and install all available updates for the operating system.

Release of a full-fledged application for Windows

On August 17, 2022, it became known that the WhatsApp developers released an updated stable version of the software client for a personal computer. Now this native Windows application, among other things, capable of working autonomously, without maintaining communication with a smartphone, follows from the reference materials on the messenger website.

As reported, before that, WhatsApp users had the opportunity to connect to the messaging service through a browser or install a separate "old" application, also based on web technologies, namely the Electron framework. At the same time, a smartphone with a mobile application WhatsApp, in which a user account was logged in, had to remain connected to the Network. The latter is now optional. However, it should be borne in mind that for the initial configuration of the desktop application, a smartphone with WhatsApp installed will still be needed.

Previously, only a few beta test participants were able to assess the features of the redesigned application. The updated desktop version has been in experimental status since at least June 2021.

The current version of the Windows application is available for download from the Microsoft Store. However, judging by the discussion that unfolded on Twitter, not in all countries of the world for August 2022.

The "native" version for operating systems the family Mac is in development, those who wish can take part in its testing. When exactly applications for computers Apple will become stable, it is not reported.

The updated version of the WhatsApp application, according to the developers, is characterized by optimized stability and speed; better fits into the work environment, since its interface is optimized specifically for Windows.

By "native" (native to the operating system), the creators of the messenger mean an application that implements the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). UWP support first appeared in Windows 10 and is present in the current version of Microsoft OS - Windows 11. The use of UWP by the software developer provides some degree of cross-platform functionality. You can launch such a "universal application" without making changes to its code, including in Windows 10 Mobile (for mobile devices), Windows 10 IoT (for Internet of Things devices ).

Previous versions of the WhatsApp Windows application used the Electron framework, which is being developed by a project team hosting IT GitHub owned by Microsoft^[10] Corporation^[11]

Bank employees in Britain are prohibited from using WhatsApp at work. Barclays disobeyed and will pay $200 million

On July 28, 2022, Barclays announced that the bank had reached an agreement with US regulators to pay a $200 million fine in connection with an investigation into employees' business communications via electronic messaging channels that were not approved by the financial institution. Read more here.

The function of migrating user data from devices running Android to iOS and back

On July 21, 2022, it became known that the function of migrating WhatsApp user data from devices running Android to iOS and back became available to everyone. This was announced by the official account of the messenger on Twitter.

As previously reported, only a few participants in the beta testing of the application could take advantage of this opportunity. The function has been in beta status since at least the summer of 2021.

The innovation makes it relatively easy to transfer almost all information related to a WhatsApp account from a mobile gadget: a user's profile, including photos, the content of personal correspondence and group chats, photos sent and accepted, videos and sound files, as well as settings. The history of voice calls is not included in this list.

According to Statista, in January 2022, the monthly audience of the messenger was 2 billion people. The top three also Chinese WeChat have 1.2 billion and (Facebook Messenger owned, Meta recognized extremist and banned in) RUSSIAN FEDERATION 988 million.

Many users consider their WhatsApp correspondence a valuable asset. Maintaining safe access to it when changing a mobile gadget is extremely important for them, and the possibility of transferring messenger data is equally useful.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta Corporation (recognized as an extremist and banned in Russia), which has owned WhatsApp since 2014, Mark Zuckerberg, announcing the innovation, even described it as "the most demanded function."

All the more strange is the leisurely manner with which it is being developed and implemented. WhatsApp was launched in 2009, and the intention of the developers to add it became known only in 2021, that is, about 12 years later.

The guide to transferring data is published in the FAQ section of the messenger website. Some articles are devoted to the transition from Android to iPhone and from iPhone to Android.

It is noteworthy that migration from an Apple smartphone to an Android device is fraught with a slightly greater number of difficulties than the reverse procedure.

Firstly, only the company's device can act as a target Android smartphone Samsung - this will require a special Samsung SmartSwitch application version 3.7.22.1 or newer. In addition, those who decide to abandon the iPhone in favor of a smartphone Galaxy will definitely need an adapter cable from the connector to USB Type-C the proprietary Lightning. Accordingly, data transmission from one device to another will take place over a wire. Thus, the transferred information does not fall into cloudy storage the message exchange service, and the messenger itself "does not see" what exactly is transmitted, according to WhatsApp FAQ.

In the case of transferring data to the iPhone (with iOS 15.5 or more recent), the user is not limited to a specific brand of the source smartphone. The main thing is that the version of Android on it is no older than 5.

The adapter cable is not required either. But, according to the instructions, during the migration process, both devices must be connected to the charger and be in the same Wi-Fi wireless network. Accordingly, data exchange is carried out "over the air" and, according to the management, also bypassing the cloud. The procedure is launched using Apple's proprietary free application "Transfer to iOS" (Move to iOS), which can be installed from the Google Play store.

The phone number to which the WhatsApp account is linked must be identical on both devices, and on the target device, in addition, you will need to first reset the settings to factory settings (unless, of course, it is new). It is also important to pay attention to the relevance of the installed version of the messenger. Transferring data from Android to iPhone is possible when using WhatsApp versions no older than 2.22.7.74 on Android and 2.22.10.70 on iPhone. The reverse procedure allows the use of several older assemblies - 2.21.16.20 and 2.21.160.17, respectively^[12].

Malicious versions of the application are actively spreading on the network

WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart said on his Twitter that the company's security service has found an unofficial version of WhatsApp called Hey WhatsApp, which offers users additional features. In addition to Hey WhatsApp, the HeyMods development team has created several modified versions of the app and is distributing them on its website. This became known on July 14, 2022.

Cathcart warned users that unofficial versions of WhatsApp were being used by attackers to steal personal information from users' phones. According to the head of WhatsApp, the company is actively fighting HeyMods and other developers of modified versions of the application and will try to hold them accountable.

If you see your friends or family using a different version of WhatsApp, please convince them to use the official version of the app, "WhatsApp's Cathcart added, [13] spreading online].

Depriving Russian residents of the opportunity to download WhatsApp to their computers

On June 29, 2022, it became known that residents of Russia lost the opportunity to download WhatsApp to their computers. They were denied access to distributions for Windows and macOS posted on the official website of the service.

As reported, the inability to get a WhatsApp distribution from a PC running Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11 and macOS. In other words, it does not depend on the operating system. There is also no connection with the browser - an attempt to download the file ends in failure in at least Chrome, Vivaldi and Firefox.

As of June 29, 2022, the link to download the APK distribution of the messenger for Android from the official website was still working. The messenger was also available in the Russian version of the Google Play app store.

According to the SecurityLab portal, the site from which distributions (fbcdn.net) are downloaded is blacklisted by Roskomnadzor by decision of the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia dated February 24, 2022 No. 27-31-2020/Id2145-22.b. As of June 29, 2022, there was no corresponding entry in the register of prohibited sites. This solution allows you to block entire social networks or individual pages in them, as well as entertainment web resources, online media and sites of IT corporations.

Messenger WhatsApp has existed since 2009 and has been owned by the corporation Meta formerly known as Facebook since 2014. At the end of March 2022, Meta was recognized Russia extremist by the organization, and its social networks Facebook Instagram were blocked throughout the country.

WhatsApp avoided such restrictions, probably due to its popularity in Russia. Meanwhile domain , the site where its distribution is downloaded from has the abbreviation FB, which apparently refers to Facebook.

There is a possibility that the initiator of the closure of access to WhatsApp distributions is either Meta itself or the US government. A similar precedent has already been set.

In June 2022, Russians were banned from downloading images of operating systems from the Microsoft website. At first, suspicion fell on its own company itself, but later it turned out that this decision was lowered "from above." As of June 29, 2022, Microsoft did not confirm or deny this.

You can still download WhatsApp from the official website while in Russia. To do this, as in the case of Windows, you only need to deceive the messenger site and convince it that the connection is from any country in the world except Russia.

To do this, you need to fake the IP address using any available means. When using the IP address of Poland or Germany, no restrictions were observed in loading distributions.

Another option is to use WhatsApp Web, the browser version of the messenger. At the time of publication of the material, there were no restrictions on its work when connecting from Russia.

Blocking access to WhatsApp distributions on the messenger website will affect, for the most part, ordinary users and are unlikely to affect Russian officials. In early June 2022, they were ordered to abandon WhatsApp in favor of a special messaging service developed specifically for civil servants. ^[14] from ^[15].

Add responses to messages

On May 5, 2022, it became known about the appearance of reactions to messages in Whatsapp. Mark Zuckerberg on his Facebook (social network is banned in Russia, owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in Russia) also announced other updates: for example, group administrators will be able to delete other people's messages, and the maximum size of files sent will increase to 2 GB.

At first, the number of emojis will be limited, but WhatsApp CEO Will Cutcart promised that later reactions would support "all emojis and skin colors^[16].

Code Verify browser extension helps protect WhatsApp web users

On March 11, 2022, it became known that WhatsApp, in partnership with Cloudfare, developed the Code Verify web extension.

The purpose of Code Verify is to confirm the integrity of the web application and make sure that it does not contain malicious code.

When using WhatsApp Web, the Code Verify extension creates the hash code it receives and browser compares it to the WhatsApp Web hash. If the code matches, the icon browser in turns green. A red icon indicates a failed code check, and an orange icon indicates a potential risk or conflict with another extension.

Once installed, the extension will start working automatically once the user starts WhatsApp.

Code Verify is available for Google Chrome and, Microsoft Edge will soon time be available for. Firefox^[17]

A vulnerability that allows you to read someone else's deleted messages

On January 31, 2022, it became known that a vulnerability was found in the WhatsApp messenger. It allows you to view messages deleted by the interlocutor without his permission, writes the New York Post. According to the publication, you can access not only a regular text message that has already been removed from the chat, but also photos, videos and other content.

^WhatsApp

As reported, Meta (formerly Facebook, owner of WhatsApp) is unable to close this loophole. A third-party WAMR application allows you to read deleted messages, even if the sender deleted them.

At the time of publication, WAMR material existed only in the Android version, but this does not mean at all that iPhone owners are protected from it. The app tracks all deleted messages in WhatsApp chats, regardless of which platform they were sent from.

WAMR on Google Play was downloaded in mid-July 2019, and in two and a half years, users downloaded it over 50 million times.

Judging by the average score of 4.5 out of 5 possible (based on almost 730 thousand reviews), those who downloaded this software are satisfied with the capabilities provided to them. Moreover, the application did not even have time to overcome the beta testing stage - as of January 31, 2022, it was available in version 0.11.1, published in early June 2021.

WAMR is distributed free of charge, and only activation of some features requires payment. The utility does not interact with the messages themselves in WhatsApp, but scans all available active chats.

After that, WAMR begins to monitor notifications coming from WhatsApp. If the application notices that the interlocutor has deleted the message, it will offer to see its contents.

In other words, sending messages with sensitive information to WhatsApp and hastily deleting them in the hope that the recipient will not have time to read them is no longer possible. WAMR also excludes the possibility of deleting a message sent accidentally or to the wrong user.

Even if it is a voice message, WAMR will be able to save it, even if it disappears from the chat. The same applies to documents.

According to the New York Post, users who do not want their deleted messages to be saved using WAMR may not even try to change the messenger. Such a radical decision will not lead to the desired result. The publication claims that WAMR is able to "archive" deleted messages in other instant messengers. An example is Facebook Messenger.

Whether WAMR can work with more secure messengers, for example, Signal or Telegram, the developers do not specify.

However, the application description does not mention any of the existing instant communication services at all, which may indicate the versatility of this tool.

WAMR carries a potential privacy threat not only for messenger users who are accustomed to deleting their messages from chats. Those who have installed this software on their device risk even more.

The application requires too many permissions to work. In addition to accessing notifications, for some reason it "wants" to read SMS messages. In addition, it requests access to, to file to storage as well as to the contact list and call log.

In addition to this, WAMR requires that it be allowed to autorun. In addition, this application cannot work autonomously - for some reason it needs unlimited access to the Internet, as well as access to the list of Wi-Fi networks.

The developers do not specify why all this is a program that simply monitors notifications in communication applications. New York Post experts warn that this utility can be used to steal data from other applications installed on a device^[18].

Pakistani woman sentenced to death for 'blasphemous' WhatsApp messages

In mid-January 2022, a court in Pakistan sentenced a woman to death for blasphemous messages sent through the American free instant messaging and voice service WhatsApp. Read more here.

Swiss army bans military from using foreign messengers

The armed Switzerland forces banned military personnel from using, messengers Telegram WhatsApp Signal and for security reasons. information security This became known on January 7, 2022. More. here

2021

Reduction in the volume of mobile traffic in Russia by a quarter

Over the year, the total volume of mobile Internet traffic in instant messengers increased by 87%. This was announced on December 22, 2021 by Megafon. WhatsApp continues to hold first place with a 48% share, which has shrunk by almost a quarter in a year. Read more here.

Some users in the United States got the opportunity to conduct instant transfers in cryptocurrency inside the application

In December 2021, a limited number of WhatsApp users in the United States were able to conduct instant transfers in cryptocurrency right inside the application. To do this, the messenger entered into a partnership with the payment service Novi, said the head of Novi Stefan Kasriel.

Novi is a digital wallet of Meta Corporation, which was launched in pilot mode six months ago. It supports the US dollar-backed Pax Dollar Stablecoin (USDP), released by Paxos.

JPMorgan Chase fined $200m for doing business via WhatsApp

On December 17, 2021, JPMorgan Chase received a $200 million fine from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for violating federal records laws, as well as for not paying attention when employees corresponded via WhatsApp and personal devices. Read more here.

FBI has full access to WhatsApp

On November 29, 2021, as a result of a data leak, an FBI document was released, which shows that the "personal" messaging applications WhatsApp and iMessage are very vulnerable to searches by law enforcement agencies.

Rolling Stone and Property of the People received an FBI document detailing exactly what information the bureau can get from various messaging apps. And it turns out that WhatsApp and iMessage provide the most information.

The document was obtained by Rolling Stone and Property of the People. It specifies exactly what information the bureau can get from various messaging apps with a warrant or subpoena. WhatsApp and iMessage are the two apps that provide the most information.

WhatsApp, iMessage and Line provide "limited" content of the messages in response to an FBI legal request. Signal, Telegram, Threema, Viber, WeChat and Wickr did not disclose the content of the messages.

However, the amount of data that WhatsApp and iMessage exchange does not end there, and apparently the "limited" content of the message is not as harmless as it might seem.

The Meta-owned messaging platform will only scrap "subscriber master records" with the subpoena, but the search warrant allows the FBI to seize address book contacts and WhatsApp users who have a target contact. The surveillance request will also allow WhatsApp to send the source and destination of messages to the FBI every 15 minutes, but not the content of the message itself.

If you are an iPhone user with WhatsApp whose backups are stored in iCloud, then FBI can also get their hands on the actual contents of the message, as Apple must hand over the iCloud encryption key if a search warrant is to be filed.

iMessage provides only "basic" information about the subpoena subscriber, but will transmit iMessage searches within 25 days if a court order is submitted.

Authorities with a search warrant can also back up the target device and view actual messages if the target user uses iCloud backups for iMessage. However, Apple's service does not provide direct surveillance capabilities.

Telegram and Signal have the most restrictions on information the FBI can legally obtain. Telegram does not provide the content of messages, and "usually" does not provide contact information. The FBI document, however, says that Telegram "may" disclose IP addresses and phone numbers to the authorities for "confirmed" investigations into terrorist acts.

Signal also does not provide the content of the message, but offers the date and time when the user signed up to the service, as well as the date of the last connection to the platform. ^[19]

WhatsApp will lose support for older versions of Android, iOS and KaiOS

In November 2021 messendzherWhatsApp , it will stop working on devices running Google Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich), 9 Apple iOS and for operating system "facephones" KaiOS 2.5.0. Owners of personally "hacked" iPhone may also not count on WhatsApp support. This became known on September 7, 2021.

Users of "age" gadgets will either have to change the device to a more recent one, or install a firmware update, if, of course, one is available.

Application the messenger will now require at least Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), iOS 10 and KaiOS 2.5.1. An article on the work of the program on the iPhone emphasizes that support for WhatsApp on smartphones Apple, which has undergone a jailbreak procedure (Jailbreak, "hacking" the device), cannot be provided, since "modifications OS can affect the functionality of the iPhone." Thus, WhatsApp will not work on any "hacked" iPhones.

According to the source, WhatsApp will continue to support irrelevant Android 4.1-4.3, which even the main developer of the system has abandoned. In July 2021, CNews wrote that smartphones based on Android of the 4.x line will no longer receive updates to the Google Play Services library, without which Google services and some third-party applications do not work.

According to Statista, as of July 2021, WhatsApp boasts a 2 billion monthly active audience^[20].

Fix a vulnerability that gave access to confidential information from memory

On September 2, 2021, Check Point Research, a research unit that Check Point Software Technologies provides solutions in the field, cyber security announced that it had discovered a security vulnerability in the image filtering function of WhatsApp, a messaging application with more than 2 billion active users. By applying certain filters to a specially created image and sending it to a potential victim, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability and gain access to confidential WhatsApp information memory.

The vulnerability is related to the image filtering function in WhatsApp. Image filtering is the process by which pixels in the original image change to achieve some visual effects, such as blur or sharpness. In the course of the study, Check Point Research specialists found out that switching between various filters in the created GIF files really led to the failure of WhatsApp. The researchers identified one of the failures as memory corruption and promptly reported the problem to WhatsApp, which called the vulnerability CVE-2020-1910, detailing it as a read and write problem outside the acceptable range.

The company estimates that more than 55 billion messages are sent via WhatsApp every day, including 4.5 billion photos and one billion videos.

Check Point Research presented its findings to WhatsApp on November 10, 2020. WhatsApp reviewed, acknowledged the security issue and rolled out the patch in version 2.21.2.13, pointing out the vulnerability in its February update with security recommendations.

Шаблон:Quote 'author = said Oded Vanunu, Head of Product Vulnerability Research, Check Point Software.

KaiOS-based mobile phones receive updated version of WhatsApp with support for voice calls

On June 9, 2021, it became known that the owners of classic cellular phones with KaiOS firmware were able to save on mobile communications. Facebook has introduced support for voice calls in the version of its WhatsApp messenger for this platform.

WhatsApp calls to KaiOS work via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and imply the need for an Internet connection. For this function, it is mobile Internet (via a cellular network) that does not require a Wi-Fi network either. This allows, for example, to transfer a phone number to a tariff without a subscription fee and reduce cellular costs to zero.

The voice calling function is available in WhatsApp version 2.2110.41 and later. Some manufacturers of devices on KaiOS, for example, Jio, will send an over-the-air messenger update. Manual updates (or installation from scratch) are also possible.

The release of mobile phones based on KaiOS is carried out by many companies, among which there are both very small and well-known around the world. The latter include Nokia, Alcatel and the Chinese Transsion Holdings, whose gadgets are sold under the Tecno brand.

KaiOS is a development of the American company KaiOS Technologies and is a software platform for the so-called "feature phone." Facephones differ from classic "dialers" in the presence of more functions, including support for third-party applications. For example, the Facebook social network and YouTube video hosting have their own software for KaiOS. In total, at the time of publication of the material, there were more than 500 applications in the KaiOS catalog^[21].

WhatsApp won't block 'dissenting' users

For several months in a row, WhatsApp announced that users who do not accept the new rules until May 15 will not be able to use all the capabilities of the messenger over time, but now the plans have changed. Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has officially told^[22]users who do not accept the updated policy will not see any limited functionality on WhatsApp.

The company explained that it made the decision after consulting with a number of experts and government regulators. However, it will continue to invite users to adopt new rules to take advantage of additional features. What options will appear for those who agree is not specified.

The new rules, which have caused a lot of controversy, provide for the transfer of user data to the parent company Facebook. These are mobile phone numbers, device details, and money transactions. Despite the fact that other applications are doing the same, it was the WhatsApp audience that took the innovations with hostility. Now the service's website says that "no one will lose their accounts or WhatsApp functions as a result of the May 15 update."

Earlier, WhatsApp said that users who refused to adopt new rules will face a phased restriction of the messenger's functionality. In particular, it was planned that such users would lose the opportunity to receive calls and notifications in the messenger.

Audio and video calling for Windows 10 and macOS computers

On March 4, 2021, it became known that video and audio calls previously available to the masses only in the mobile version of WhatsApp reached computers running Windows 10 and macOS operating systems. However, so far only one person from the contact list can call at the same time, and a mobile phone with Internet access will still be needed.

As reported, the possibility of making group calls using a personal computer for March 2021 is not provided, but the developers plan to implement it later. Terms are not specified.

WhatsApp user conversations, according to the developers, are protected by end-to-end, enciphering that is, their content can only be known to direct participants, and not to third parties like employees of the owning messenger the American company. Facebook Even if the Internet traffic generated during the call is intercepted by an attacker, it is likely to be useless.

Using WhatsApp on the big screen makes it easier to communicate with colleagues, family, as well as freeing your hands and allowing you to move around the room. The application works in portrait and landscape orientation, in a standalone window with resizable dimensions and is always on top of the rest of the windows. said in a message published by representatives of the messenger

WhatsApp calls for computers are supported by applications for 64-bit Microsoft Windows 10 (starting with version 1903) and macOS from Apple, starting with version 10.13.

To make an audio or video call, you will need not only a PC with the desktop version of WhatsApp installed, but also a mobile phone connected to the Network with the corresponding application^[23].

Comparison of functionality with other messengers

Warning about blocking users who disagree with the rules being entered

Whatsapp will block users who disagree with the updated rules. This became known on January 6, 2021.

On February 8, the changed Terms of Use will come into force at the WhatsApp messenger. Developers are already preparing for the transition and will soon begin collecting permissions from users.

This update to the terms and privacy policy is based on a similar change that WhatsApp announced in July 2020. However, in a previous update, WhatsApp gave users the option to "not share Facebook information your WhatsApp account." In the latest update, WhatsApp dropped this option and users will have to accept the updated terms and privacy policy if they want to continue using the messenger.

It is planned that the processing of user data will be carried out differently, in particular, this affects a number of confidentiality obligations. Additional options are also added related to the capabilities of additional products, processing information to ensure security, integrity and security. In addition, in the updates, direct links to user settings, Help Center items and data control methods will appear.

The user can accept the relevant conditions until February 8, 2021 or refuse to use^[24] messenger^[25].

Extending encryption to copies of chats in the Apple and Google clouds

In September 2021, WhatsApp said it would extend encryption in the messaging service to chat backups stored on Apple and Google cloud services.

The new proposal gives two billion WhatsApp users additional protection for their messages, an escalation in a growing battle over encryption technology.

The new WhatsApp feature, which the company plans to release in a software update in late September, will allow users to create encrypted backups of their chats - including images, video and audio - and store that data on Apple iCloud or Google Drive.

2020

Self-destruct messages

On November 5, 2020, WhatsApp introduced the function of automatically deleting messages after seven days in individual and group chats.

We set a period of seven days, because we consider it optimal: within a week you can refresh your memory of previous correspondence, which will then disappear. The shopping list or store address that you received a few days ago will be at hand as long as there is a need for them, and then disappear when you do not need it, the messenger administration explained.

Messages sent or received before disappearing messages are included will not be affected. In correspondence with two people, one of them can turn it on, and in chats with many participants, administrators will control the function.

If the user made an archive of messages when the function is enabled, then the messages will remain in the archive. After the correspondence is restored, the messages disappear. At the same time, if you send a message to another chat, and the function is disabled there, then the message will remain in that chat.

The disappearing messages feature has been tested on WhatsApp since at least October 2019. According to the developers, since most of the messages sent are of little value, a mode of disappearing messages in WhatsApp was created.

How to activate disappearing messages in an individual chat:

• Open WhatsApp Chat.
• Click on the contact name.
• Click Disappearing Messages.
• If prompted, click Continue.
• Select On.

In Telegram, such a function has existed for several years. At the same time, in the messenger, you can set a timer for each message when it disappears.^[26]

In Germany, special services were allowed to access encrypted correspondence in instant messengers

On October 22, 2020, it became known that the German government approved a bill that would allow the special services to provide access to the correspondence of messenger users, for example, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It is assumed that such measures will make the fight against terrorism more effective.

In accordance with the innovation, the special services will be allowed to monitor not only the current correspondence, but also encrypted messages sent earlier, using "spy ON."

I cannot accept that our security agencies cannot pursue the enemies of our democracy due to the lack of powers, "explained the author of the document, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.

The days of disk phones are over. We need intelligence agencies that can see and hear in the digital age, Seehofer said, adding that the future law "is a welcome step in the fight against terrorists and extremists.

For her part, German Justice Minister, Social Democrat Kristin Lambrecht said that the secret services should be able to "act on an equal footing with those who persecute," stressing that this is not about persecuting citizens in order to "prevent a crime."

The German government guarantees that "oversight" will only be possible after an agreement with the G-10 Commission, a parliamentary committee specifically dedicated to examining restrictive measures in the areas of secrecy of letters, post offices and telecommunications.

The bill provoked a violent reaction from the opposition. Bundestag deputy from the Green Party Konstantin von Notz Konstantin von Notz criticized the document, considering it "contrary to civil rights, and representatives of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) indicate that the bill is a" decisive attack on basic rights^[27]

Cheating through creating celebrity friend lookalike WhatsApp profiles

On September 18, 2020, it became known about a new method of fraud through WhatsApp in Russia. Scammers create double profiles of celebrity friends and deceive.

As the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Irina Volk told Interfax, swindlers find out the contacts of famous people from the world of sports and show business and create double profiles of people from their inner circle in the messenger. On their behalf, accomplices ask media personalities to transfer from 50 to 550 thousand rubles to an account or electronic wallet.

According to Volk, the police detained three men who, using instant messengers, stole more than 4.5 million rubles. More than 30 people became victims of the suspects. Among them is the director of the Bolshoi Moscow Circus Edgar Zapashny.

In April 2020, Zapashny on his Instagram page said that he had become a victim of a telephone fraudster who convinced him to transfer 50 thousand rubles. According to the artist, the attacker wrote to him in one of the messengers and introduced himself as his friend - UFC fighter Alexei Oleinik, who currently lives in the United States. Some time after the transfer, Zapashny called Oleinik back, but he said that he had not asked for any money.

Of course, I understand that I did the wrong thing. It was necessary to call that (original) number or just call back. But he (the fraudster) found time, apparently, followed my behavior, and, so to speak, correctly, technically caught me, - added Zapashny.

According to the director of the Moscow Circus, other celebrities who are not now advertising their names have also suffered from the actions of the scammers.

I know for a fact that two more pop stars [suffered], "he said. - They don't shine their names yet, but law enforcement agencies have named [their names]. And several more basketball players - and several hockey players. So all these people also wrote statements.[28]

Integration with Jivo

On August 10, 2020, it became known that the business messenger Jivo announced with integration the WhatsApp messenger. More. here

TalkBank Express Checkout Availability

On August 10, 2020, TalkBank announced the launch of an instant transfer service by phone number in instant messengers.

According to the company, the TalkBank fast payment system for August 2020 is available to users of five messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Vkontakte, Facebook. You can even make translations using Alice's voice assistant. Read more here.

WhatsApp lifts multiple smartphone login ban

On July 22, 2020, it became known that WhatsApp would lift the ban on logging in from several smartphones and computers. Information about the innovation appeared in the beta version of the Android application - 2.20.196.8.

Previously, when using one WhatsApp account on the second smartphone, access to the service on the first was automatically stopped. In the updated messenger, this restriction has been removed: one account can be used simultaneously on a maximum of four devices.

The "Linked devices" section has appeared in the settings of the beta version of Android 2.20.196.8. There may be a computer that is logged into the browser or desktop version of WhatsApp. 

The innovations in WhatsApp will not be limited to this. Also, the search function has been improved there: now messages will be filtered by type, for example, by photo, video, GIF, audio, documents and links.

Also in WhatsApp will appear the function of finding messages by dates. By July 24, 2020, the messenger already has a search function, but it is difficult for application users to find a post sent or received on a certain day.

In July 2020, the following new features appeared on WhatsApp:

• Animated stickers
• QR codes. This feature allows you to quickly add contacts. To add new acquaintances to your contact list, you can simply scan their QR code. You do not need to manually enter phone numbers one at a time.
• Dark mode in WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for computers
• Improving the function of group video calls. With the increase in the number of participants in group video calls to 8, the ability to expand the video of one of them to the full screen was added. 
• Statuses in KaiOS. Users of devices based on KaiOS will now be able to share updates disappearing in 24 hours using the popular status feature.^[29]

Launch of electronic payments for users in Brazil and their ban by the authorities

On June 16, 2020, it became known that Facebook began launching an electronic payment service on the platform of its messaging application WhatsApp. As the founder and head of the company, Mark Zuckerberg, clarified, users from Brazil will be the first to evaluate the capabilities of the application.

We are starting to launch payments for WhatsApp users in Brazil. Sending and receiving money will be as easy as sharing photos. We will also allow small businesses to sell directly on WhatsApp, "he wrote on his Facebook page.

As M. Zuckerberg specified, the implementation of this option will be carried out on the basis of the system announced in November 2019. online payments Facebook Pay According to the entrepreneur, from the Brazilian side, the partners of his company are the largest state bank, Banco do Brasil as well as the commercial, bank Nubank consumer cooperative Sicredi and the national operator payment systems Cielo^[30]

On June 23, 2020 Mastercard , the Central Bank of Brazil ordered Visa to suspend processing of money transfers on behalf of WhatsApp for Facebook.

Brazil's central bank has taken action against WhatsApp Pay "to maintain an adequate competitive environment" and allow the central bank to assess the risks the company poses to the country's existing financial sector.

Visa and Mastercard will be subject to heavy fines and administrative sanctions unless they suspend payment-related actions organized by the WhatsApp messenger himself.

Representatives of the Bank added that "this step will allow time to assess any risks to the proper functioning of the Brazilian payment system and verify compliance."

QR Code Recognition

WhatsApp messenger will receive a QR code recognition function. It is implemented in the beta version of the application for iOS, and later will appear on Android devices.

According to WABetaInfo, using a QR code scanner, it will be possible to quickly add a person to the contact list. The quick addition of a QR code contact works as follows: one of the interlocutors generates his own code in the WhatsApp application, and then the second scans it with a camera - also in the messenger. The mobile number is also transmitted along with the code.

If the user believes that he passed his QR code to the wrong person or published it not where he planned, he can revoke the code and generate a new one. The old code will then become invalid. You can repeat such an operation any number of times.

Largest US bank fires and cuts premiums to employees who use WhatsApp at work

On April 8, 2020, it became known that JPMorgan Chase began to fine and fire employees for using WhatsApp at work. The largest bank in the United States is taking these measures for fear of violating privacy policies. Read more here.

Russian court first considered the case through WhatsApp

At the end of March 2020, a Russian court first considered the case using WhatsApp. The head of the human rights group "Agora" Pavel Chikov told reporters about this.

According to him, the judge of the Nevyansk City Court of the Sverdlovsk Region, using a video call in the messenger, considered an administrative offense case against a local businessman whose cafe functioned during quarantine. As a punishment, the court banned the activities of this institution for a period of 45 days.

We are talking about the Nevyansk cafe "Simba," clarified in the regional department of the Federal Bailiff Service, whose employees sealed the doors of the institution.

The work of shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, shops in the region was limited from March 28, 2020 for an indefinite period. In the regions of Russia, restrictions and bans on the activities of catering enterprises have been introduced everywhere, they can work only in remote trade or for take-out, but not to receive visitors. 

 In March 2020, Russian courts limited the consideration of cases. Due to the pandemic, cases of an urgent nature and simplified proceedings will now be considered. The courts were recommended to "initiate the consideration of cases using video conferencing systems."

Such meetings on administrative affairs were held twice in Kazan. The Vakhitovsky District Court in both cases fined activists via video link.^[31]

The legal service "Apology of Protest" notes that due to the restriction of the work of the courts due to the coronavirus, the judge first refused to consider the case of the activist, and then decided to do it via Skype. According to the legal service, "this form of organization of the consideration of the case is nothing more than a parody of a fair trial and is not provided for by law."

Access to 470 thousand private chats WhatsApp turned out to be in the Google search engine

At the end of February 2020, the journalist of the German publication Deutsche Welle, Jordan Wheeldon, warned his followers on Twitter that WhatsApp chats "may not be as safe as you think." According to him, access to 470 thousand private chats WhatsApp ended up in the search engine Google (Google Search).

The Invite to Group by Link function allows you to index private chats on Google, and thanks to your search settings, you can find almost any private chat. Most often, Google links led to pages with pornography, but there were also community groups: members of non-governmental organizations accredited communicated in one. UN After joining the group, you could get the phone numbers of all chat participants.

WhatsApp's parent company, Facebook, and Google are understood to have been aware of this for many months. Security researcher @ hackrzvijay previously notified WhatsApp and Facebook of such an issue, but the companies did not take notice of his words, citing Google's response. One of the "white" hackers involved in reengineering applications confirmed that the blame lies entirely with WhatsApp - group pages are not necessarily indexable at all, and only a little code change was required to solve the problem. Shortly after Wheeldon's message, WhatsApp fixed the error of indexing private chats on Google, however, in other major search engines, this loophole is still available by February 25, 2020.

A WhatsApp spokesman said invitations to private chats should not be published in the public domain or they would be available to all users.^[32]

Programmer Tommy Mysk has discovered a vulnerability that allows iOS applications to access data copied to the iPhone or iPad clipboard. This means that fraudsters can gain access to almost any personal information of the user, including bank card data and passwords are at risk.

Why Wall Street traders are being banned from WhatsApp

In mid-January 2020, it became known that JPMorgan Chase and other Wall Street companies are banning their traders from using WhatsApp. The main reason is the inability of banks to control the correspondence of employees.

Edward Koo, who worked at JPMorgan Chase for almost 20 years, was fired after using a WhatsApp group chat to communicate with colleagues. At the same time, the bank does not exclude the adoption of measures against other members of the group. The incident underscores Wall Street's growing concern about the use of unauthorized messaging systems that could bypass company policy compliance checks.

The WhatsApp group chat, which featured Edward Koo, included fewer than 20 JPMorgan employees and was used to discuss market affairs and other conversations between colleagues, according to Bloomberg. The bank has no evidence that any corporate secrets were discussed in the chat, and the internal investigation is likely to conclude in a few weeks.

Regulators do not generally prohibit employees from using WhatsApp, but require banks to take reasonable measures to monitor their employees' communications. These measures allow banks to identify illegal activities in time, from market manipulation to insider trading. However, WhatsApp encrypts all messages, which prevents banks from controlling the situation. Employees often use this application to communicate with friends, which does not allow banks to impose a complete ban on the use of WhatsApp.

A Bloomberg source familiar with JPMorgan's internal investigation also said the bank notified its key regulators, including the Federal Reserve, the Exchange and Securities Commission and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, of its use of unauthorized messaging systems. JPMorgan refrained from commenting at the request of the news agency.^[33]

2019

Troubleshooting Group Chat Failures

On December 18, 2019, Check Point reported that through research by Check Point, the problem of failures in WhatsApp group chats was fixed.

According to the company, Check Point specialists have discovered a serious vulnerability in the WhatsApp application, which can be used by one single user to disrupt the entire messenger in all participants in the chat he chose. Due to the vulnerability found, the entire message history in the group chat will be lost forever.

Check Point encourages all WhatsApp users to upgrade to the latest version of the app as soon as possible. The consequences for users are so serious that they have to delete and download the messenger again, however, this also does not make it possible to return to the chat. In the end, they have to delete the chat itself to break the vicious circle of errors in the application, which leads to the loss of all messages in it.

Hackers use this vulnerability to initiate a vicious circle of fatal errors in the messenger. They adhere to the following sequence in their actions:

• At the beginning, the attacker enters a pre-selected group chat on WhatsApp and behaves like a full-fledged participant (WhatsApp allows you to create groups for 256 people).
• Next, it changes certain parameters and sends malicious messages to the chat using WhatsApp Web and a web browser debugging tool.
• At the last stage, the hacker initiates a vicious circle of failures for all members of the group chat, prohibiting users from accessing all WhatsApp functions.

The findings data add to a previous Check Point study published in 2019. Then the company's experts proved that the cracker can intercept and change WhatsApp messages.

During the latest study, the Check Point Research team discovered a messenger vulnerability. Experts checked the connection between the WhatsApp application and its web version, which exactly copies all messages sent and received by the user's smartphone, and then displays them in the browser. Typically, when a WhatsApp user sends a message to a group chat, the app checks their phone number to determine who exactly sent the message. Check Point experts have discovered the ability to manipulate this and other parameters for personal purposes.

Check Point officially released its results on August 28, 2019, as part of WhatsApp's program to find bugs in the app. Messenger acknowledged the problem and developed its solution, which was added in version 2.19.58. WhatsApp made it possible to update the app in mid-September 2019 and added updated controls that are expected to be able to prevent users from entering unwanted group chats and avoid interacting with cybercriminals.

Discontinuing support for older OS versions

On December 9, 2019, it became known about the imminent termination of WhatsApp support for older versions of mobile operating systems. As a result, millions of users will be left without access to the messenger - in some devices it is either impossible to install more up-to-date firmware, or it is not recommended to do this so as not to slow down the gadget.

As of December 31, 2019, WhatsApp will stop running on phones that are based on Windows Phone. And from February 1, the service will not work for owners of devices with Android version 2.3.7 and older, as well as iOS up to and including version 8.

The messenger administration explained its decision by the desire to support only those mobile platforms that most people in the world use. The rest will have to update their smartphones or refuse to use the messenger.

According to experts, support for each of the OS versions costs very impressive money, and when the practical meaning disappears, then support ends. In addition, functions may appear in the messenger that simply cannot be implemented in older versions of Android and iOS.

Old versions of the operating system do not allow to fully provide coverage, because it is necessary to build additional capabilities for each version, this is very problematic, and the capabilities of those smartphones to ensure high-quality, uninterrupted operation are already technologically lacking, "says Denis Kuskov, General Director of the information and analytical agency TelecomDaily. - Within two to three years, most people make a phone change from old to new, and WhatsApp will not work on phones that are much more years old. Of course, people who want to continue using WhatsApp in the future will have to purchase a newer model.[34]

WhatsApp messages started being automatically deleted

At the end of November 2019, it became known about the appearance of a new function in WhatsApp. It allows you to automatically delete messages after a specified period of time.

The "Delete messages" option appeared in the beta version of WhatsApp 2.19.348 for. operating system Android Previously, the function was partially implemented in an earlier beta version, where it was called "Disappearing Messages." Then the function provided for the removal of messages after five seconds or after an hour.

You can activate the ability to automatically delete messages in the messenger menu by going to the contact information or group chat settings. In the latter case, chat administrators must first allow the ability to erase records.

WhatsApp allows you to set the time after which the message will disappear. It can be an hour, a day, a week, a month or a year. According to the WABetaInfo portal (specializing in news about WhatsApp), the function is compatible with the "dark mode" option under development.

A similar service is provided  in Telegram. The messenger allows you to set the time of disappearance of messages in the chat from one second after reading.

Meanwhile, in November 2019, WhatsApp changed privacy settings to limit the number of people who can add a user to group chats.

The innovation is based on user feedback after testing begins. The administration of the service decided to introduce a ban on adding to the groups so that those who work with the messenger have "more control" over their communication.

To enable the restriction, in the application in the "Account" section, you need to open the "Privacy" tab, then "Groups" and select one of three options there. If the user has limited the number of people who can add it to chats, the system will prompt the group creator to send him a personal message with an invitation, which will be displayed for three days, and then automatically deleted.^[35]

P.Durov criticizes WhatsApp security

In May, I predicted that vulnerabilities in WhatsApp will be identified, and serious security problems will follow one after another, as they were before, "he wrote in November 2019 Durov in his Telegram-channel.

According to him, the new WhatsApp vulnerabilities make user personal data open to hackers and government agencies. "All the hacker had to do was send you a video, and all your data was at the mercy of the attacker," he added.

Durov stressed that WhatsApp "not only does not protect user messages, but is also used as a Trojan horse to follow photos and videos that users store outside of WhatsApp." In his opinion, the reason is that Facebook, which owns the messenger, participates in the program of the US National Security Agency to collect data on the population (PRISM).

Officials around the world attacked via WhatsApp

At the end of October 2019, it became known about a large-scale attack by hackers on high-ranking officials around the world through WhatsApp. Cybercriminals have exploited the messenger vulnerability to gain access to smartphones from more than 1.4 thousand users.

Most Reuters of the victims are government and military officials from countries, most of them allies, reports citing sources familiar with the investigation. In USA particular, Indian journalists, scientists, lawyers and defenders of the Dalit community in. India In addition, we are talking about citizens, USA UAE Bahrain, Mexico, Pakistan.

WhatsApp notified affected users of the attack. The company did not disclose the names of customers whose accounts were hacked.

Attackers installed surveillance software on users' phones using the call function. Moreover, malicious code could be transmitted even if the person did not answer the call.

The main attack took place between April 29 and May 10, 2019. Who is behind the hack is unknown to the news agency. The hackers are believed to have used a tool developed by the Israeli company NSO Group.

In late October 2019, the WhatsApp administration filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco against NSO. The lawsuit says NSO "developed malware to gain access to messages and other communications after they were decrypted" on users' devices. The Israelis deny the accusations, saying they cooperate exclusively  with state bodies as part of the investigation of crimes.

WhatsApp assured that they have already updated the system's protection and released a messenger update to protect users.^[36]

Authorities wanted to make WhatsApp calls paid

On October 17, 2019, the authorities Lebanon announced the abolition of the so-called "WhatsApp tax" after mass protests by residents. More. here

WhatsApp will stop working on older versions of iOS and Android

On September 30, 2019, it became known that the WhatsApp messenger will completely stop supporting a number of outdated operating systems, including early versions of iOS and Android. In order to be able to fully use this service, owners of gadgets with old software will have to either update the firmware on their smartphones or purchase a more modern device.

The first, as stated on the official WhatsApp website, will be hit by all, without exception, users who continue to operate smartphones running Windows Phone. WhatsApp will stop running on these devices on December 31, 2019 due to the lack of OS support from the developer, Microsoft. Recall that Microsoft finally recognized Windows Phone dead in the fall of 2017. Meanwhile, at the time of publication of the material, WhatsApp was still available in the Microsoft Store, although the description said about its imminent removal.

On February 1, 2020, a similar fate will befall iOS 8 and Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread - the first Apple released in 2014, and the second was released in 2010. The termination of support in this case means that users will no longer have the opportunity to create an account or re-confirm existing profiles. In other words, if you reinstall the application or try to activate your account, the messenger will stop working.

The rejection of support for several operating systems is unlikely to make WhatsApp less popular due to low demand for outdated versions of Android and iOS, and even more so for a dead Windows Phone. The share of the latter in the global mobile OS market, combined with the share of the more modern Windows 10 Mobile (also dead) does not exceed 0.2%.

WhatsApp regularly stops supporting legacy software platforms as more modern and more in-demand solutions are released. Less than a year ago, on January 1, 2019, it stopped working on all, without exception, cell phones Nokia based on the Series 40 platform.

In 2019, modern Nokia cell phones (not smartphones) run on the KaiOS platform. WhatsApp has support for it, but the KaiOS version should be 2.5.1 or newer.^[37]

Edward Snowden discourages officials from using WhatsApp and Telegram

On September 16, 2019, Edward Snowden warned senior officials against using WhatsApp and Telegram. According to a former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA), these messengers are unsafe. Read more here.

Phishing attack via premium subscription to Spotify music service

On June 16, 2019, an international anti-virus company ESET announced phishing to the attack messenger WhatsApp. The bait is an annual premium subscription to a popular music service. Spotify

A potential victim receives a message offering to become a premium Spotify subscriber. By clicking on the link, the user gets to a phishing site with a special questionnaire. The appearance of the portal and its URL resemble the official Spotify website.

After filling out the questionnaire, the victim needs to send a link to the "action" to 30 WhatsApp users from the contact list - allegedly only after that the premium account will be activated.

During the survey, the user sees pop-ups with a warning about a system infection. To block a threat, you need to click on the "Accept" button, go to Google Play and install the application, which is actually a program for displaying ads.

According to ESET experts, the malicious campaign is aimed mainly at Latin Americans.

Earlier, ESET recorded a phishing attack, where the bait was the opportunity to change the color of the WhatsApp messenger interface. The use of similar attack tools suggests that the same attackers are involved in both campaigns.

ESET recommendations:

• do not click on suspicious links, even if they are sent by friends;
• Check information about profitable promotions on the official websites of services, pay attention to URLs;
• Look at downloads, reviews, ratings before downloading from app stores.
• use a reliable antivirus with anti-phishing and anti-spam functions.

WhatsApp antispam can be disabled for $14. Politicians send 100,000 messages a day

In mid-May 2019, it became known that WhatsApp software tools for just $14 help Indian marketers and political activists bypass the anti-spam restrictions set by the messenger.

WhatsApp has repeatedly faced the problem of messenger abuse in India, the company's largest market with more than 200 million users. With elections due to end in India on May 19, 2019, this issue has become even more acute.

Earlier, the WhatsApp service introduced strict restrictions on sending messages - you can send information only in 20 chats at the same time, instead of 250, as it was earlier. However, software tools easily overcome these limitations, allowing users to work with thousands of people at the same time. Programmer Rohitash Repswal said that for several months he managed the work of software worth 1,000 rupees ($14), which sent on behalf of one of the political parties in India up to 100,000 WhatsApp messages per day.

It turned out that WhatsApp was used in at least three ways as part of political campaigns. Some party members used free online applications to create fake accounts in order to manually forward a lot of messages. Others have used software tools that allow users to automate the delivery of WhatsApp messages. And some firms have suggested politicians should carry out mass WhatsApp messaging from anonymous numbers using dedicated websites.

Modified versions of such popular apps have become commonplace thanks to tech-savvy hobbyists. At least three similar software tools are available on Amazon's Indian website. They are delivered in the form of CDs without any markings or names.^[38]

Facebook plans to launch its own cryptocurrency on WhatsApp

On March 1, 2019, it became known that Facebook's plan to introduce its own digital currency, which people will be able to send and receive via WhatsApp, has advanced so much that negotiations are already underway with cryptocurrency exchanges to sell the token.

Facebook employees told the exchanges - the digital currency may be presented in the first half of 2019.

So far, this currency is intended only for WhatsApp, but in the future it can become available to Facebook Messenger and Instagram users thanks to plans for cooperation between the three messengers.

Facebook's digital currency is likely to be pegged to a basket of currencies from different countries, including the dollar and the euro. Expected. that it will be based on blockchain technology.

Facebook created its PayPal Coinbase blockchain unit in 2018, giving it the freedom to operate as a startup under former president and board member David Marcus.

Facebook is not messengers Telegram Signal alone: they also plan to launch their own cryptocurrency. They will be closer to bitcoin, with a more decentralised approach and no binding to fiat currencies^[39]

Added WhatsApp access security feature for iOS devices

On February 4, 2019, it became known that Facebook application WhatsApp an additional iOS feature safety with support appeared in the device belonging to the device. biometric authentications From now on, users can block the application, and each time it is launched, face or fingerprint authentication will be requested (using sensors or Face ID Touch ID, respectively).

This feature was added to WhatsApp version 2.19.20. As reported in the description of the application in the App Store, you can enable it by going to Settings > Account > Privacy. Although individual conversations cannot be blocked, but only the entire application, Screen Lock certainly adds an additional layer of security to protect the privacy of correspondence.

With the lock feature activated, users will still be able to see notifications from WhatsApp and respond quickly to messages within iOS, but access to the entire app will require biometric authentication. If the sensors of the mobile device suddenly stop recognizing the face or fingerprint, you can use the password for the iPhone to unlock WhatsApp ^[40].

2018

Facebook to develop cryptocurrency for WhatsApp transfers

Facebook is working to create a cryptocurrency that will allow users to transfer money through the company-owned WhatsApp app, Bloomberg reported in December 2018, citing knowledgeable^[41].

According to the agency, the rate of the new cryptocurrency will be tied to the US dollar (such digital currencies, whose volatility is lower than that of ordinary cryptocurrencies, are called stablecoin), but you should not expect it to appear in the near future: Facebook is still working on the details of the project.

When deciding to launch its own, cryptocurrencies Facebook focuses primarily on the money transfer market, Bloomberg India interlocutors said. In this country, Facebook-owned messenger WhatsApp uses more than 200 million people. In addition, India is the leader in terms of remittances; in 2017, users from all over the world transferred $69 billion to this country, Bloomberg notes, citing data from the World Bank.

Vulnerability to third-party channel attacks

According to a report dated December 13, 2018, researchers from Cisco Talos reported vulnerabilities in popular instant messengers using encryption. According to experts, WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal can be hacked using attacks through third-party channels. Read more here.

The emergence of advertising

In early November 2018, it became known about the appearance of advertising on WhatsApp. Chris Daniels, vice president of the company, spoke about the monetization of the service.

According to him, the ad will appear in the "Status" section - an analogue of the "Storis" function on Instagram and Snapchat. Photos, videos, and animated GIFs in this section disappear 24 hours after posting.

This will become the main monetization model for the company, and will also enable companies to contact people on WhatsApp, Daniels said.

The former management of WhatsApp was categorically against advertising in the messenger, because because of it, as the company believed, the team spends a lot of effort on collecting personal data, and users are distracted from business. WhatsApp's co-founders have left Facebook over disagreements with Mark Zuckerberg over the ads.

WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said that top Facebook managers put pressure on him in matters of monetization: for example, they offered to come up with a way to sell analytics to the WhatsApp audience. According to Acton, Facebook tried to monetize WhatsApp even before buying the service in 2014 for $19.3 billion.

Facebook also planned to build business tools based on WhatsApp user data. In particular, for analytics and targeted advertising. The obstacle was the WhatsApp encryption system. The messenger management tried to save the encrypted environment.

By early November 2018, WhatsApp has an audience of approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. The Status function is used by about 450 million users.^[42]

The fact that the WhatsApp messenger will begin to show targeted ads to users was reported in October 2018 by the Silicon portal. According to him, advertising messages may appear at the top of the interface starting in 2019.

Fix Application Control Capture Vulnerability with RTP Packet

On October 10, 2018, it became known that WhatsApp developers fixed a vulnerability in messenger versions for Android and iOS devices, which allowed attackers to seize control of the application when the user answers an incoming video call.

The problem was discovered by security researcher Natalie Silvanovich from Google Project Zero in August 2018. Silvanovic described the vulnerability as "a memory corruption error in videoconferences an implementation unrelated to." WebRTC According to the researcher, it is possible to cause damage to dynamically distributed memory (heap) by sending a specially configured RTP packet to the WhatsApp mobile application. That is, the vulnerability can be exploited by forcing the victim to answer a video call.

The problem affects only versions of WhatsApp for Android and iOS devices, since only they use RTP to provide a conference call. The desktop version of the messenger is not vulnerable, since WebRTC is used for video calls.

WhatsApp developers fixed the issue with the release of updates^[43]

WhatsApp admitted that everyone can get to the correspondence of its users

The WhatsApp messenger officially informed users in September 2018 that the backup chats they store in Google Drive storage are not protected by end-to-end encryption. The information was posted on the WhatsApp FAQ page, which contains instructions for creating backups on Google Drive.

Backups, which are usually created by messenger users on various cloud platforms, allow you to transfer chats to a new device when changing your smartphone. Creating backup copies of chats is supported by WhatsApp, Viber and other instant messengers.

For users iOS , the lack of end-to-end enciphering WhatsApp on Google Drive backups does not pose a big problem - they can choose the option to save chats to, iCloud where all data is encrypted by default. However, users have no Android choice - they can only save chats on Google Drive. Thus, these chats, not protected by end-to-end encryption, can be accessed by specialists with sufficient skills, including representatives of^[44] special services^[45]

Hackers have learned to change other people's messages on WhatsApp

In August 2018, a vulnerability was discovered in WhatsApp that allows attackers to remotely access messages from other users.

The security flaw in the messenger, which was reported by cybersecurity experts Check Point Software Technologies, leads to the fact that hackers can edit the text of someone else's message and even change its author. This can lead to the appearance of fake news in the messenger. 

Analysts highlighted Check Point pointed to several ways to "infiltrate" the chat. For example, using the Quote function in a group chat, you can replace the ID of the real sender with the name of any other user, even if he is not  in correspondence. It is also possible to send a message disguised as a chat to a member of the group in personal messages , and then the response of the addressee of the message will be visible to all members of the group.

By intercepting and editing the message, the criminals give the impression that the chat participant sent a text that never actually happened. Thus, hackers get the opportunity to manipulate interlocutors.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that WhatsApp has a large number of users (more than 1.5 billion by August 2018) who may suffer due to vulnerability.

A dangerous security breach poses a huge threat, as hackers can use it to create and spread misinformation. A similar problem is acute in India, where in 2018 there were dozens of murders due to fake messages. The country's authorities even thought about blocking the messenger.

In July 2018, WhatsApp introduced a new feature to combat fakes. The innovation was the note "forwarded message." According to the developers, this was done to identify the sender.^[46]

Appearance of group calls function

At the end of July 2018, the group calls function appeared on WhatsApp, as reported in the service's blog.

Our users spend more than 2 billion minutes a day on calls. We are pleased to announce that group audio and video calls will be available on WhatsApp starting today, the messenger said in a July 30 message.

The number of users who can participate in one collective call is limited to four. The security of such calls provides end-to-end encryption.

To organize a call with the participation of several people, first you need to call one of the users, and then click on the "add participants" button^[47]

The group audio and video calling feature is available in an updated version of the WhatsApp app for iOS and Android operating systems. 

In 2018, WhatsApp developers focused on functionality changes related to the simultaneous communication of several users. In particular, there have been changes in group correspondence. The ability to describe the goals, rules, or themes of a group has been added. When new members appear in a group, they can see its description at the top of the screen.

Users who have left the group can no longer be re-added to the group. If the user has not visited the group chat for a long time, he will be able to quickly familiarize himself with the messages by clicking on the new @ icon (located in the lower right corner).

The rights of administrators have also been improved. Now the creator of the chat will separately select people who can change the avatar or the name of the conversation. You can find any group member by entering their name in the search on the group information page.

Groups are a very important part of the WhatsApp application both for family members living far from each other and for childhood friends who use group communication in order to always stay in touch, the service administration emphasized.

WhatsApp tests card-to-card money transfers

Facebook has begun testing the card-to-card money transfer service in the WhatsApp messenger.  In Q1 2018, about 1%  of WhatsApp users living in India will connect to testing. In this country, the messenger has more than 200 million users.

In addition, WhatsApp will focus on introducing a payment service for its users in trade and service enterprises. The transfer service is built on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which allows you to make free money transfers between bank accounts.

In India's money transfer market , WhatsApp will have to compete with Google Tez, local wallet Paytm and government app BHIM, among other services.

Teenagers in the EU have been denied access to WhatsApp

On April 25, 2018, information appeared that residents of the European Union will be able to use the WhatsApp messenger only after reaching the age of 16. This rule has been introduced into the terms of service and the privacy policy of the application.

The reason for the restrictions was the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force in the EU in May. The regulations will give residents of the European Union the right to know what kind of information companies store about them. Personal data of persons who are not yet 16 years old can be collected, stored and processed only with the permission of their parents or guardians.

You will have the opportunity to download and view the limited information that we collect. This option will be available to all our users around the world in the latest version of the app, WhatsApp said in a blog post.

Meanwhile, users from other regions of the world can use the messenger from the age of 13, if allowed by local legislation.

At the same time, WhatsApp did not explain how the age of registered or existing users will be checked.

The WhatsApp blog also featured a guide to asking for personal data the company keeps about users. Within three days of sending the request, the user will be able to receive information in the form of an HTML file packed in a zip archive. The file will contain profile photos, names in group chats and other information, except for the history of correspondence. The user will then be able to request the deletion of his personal data from the company's servers, however, apparently, this option will only be available to residents of the European Union.^[48]

Drug traffickers caught on WhatsApp fingerprint

In April 20118, it became known about the detention of drug dealers thanks to a photo of a fingerprint from the WhatsApp messenger.

British police detained a 28-year-old man named Elliot on suspicion of drug trafficking. The police analyzed the detainee's WhatsApp correspondence  and found a suspicious photo there. In the picture, someone was holding pills on his open palm, the caption read: "What exactly do you want to buy?."

With the help of new technology, law enforcement agencies conducted fingerprint recognition from a photo that was used by criminals as advertising for drug sales. Then a search was carried out at the drug dealer's house, which allowed the discovery of a cannabis plantation.

At first, law enforcement officers went to the spouses Darren  and Dominic Morris. However, their fingerprints did not match the image in the photo. Then the police decided to check on their 28-year-old son named Elliot. It turned out that it was he who grows hemp and controls the flow of drugs. His palm was depicted in the picture.

As a result, it was possible to expose a large criminal group and arrest 11 people. They face drug charges. Elliott was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.

According to South Wales police spokesman Dave Thomas, for the first time in Britain, law enforcement officers used the ability to recognize fingerprints from a photo. This indicates the potential to use pictures from social networks as evidence, as well as to identify crimes, he noted.

Drug dealers use technology so as not to get caught, and we need to keep up with our achievements, "said Dave Thomas, quoted by the BBC.[49]

If a partial image of a fingerprint taken from a low-resolution photo is all it takes to make an arrest, there will be crowded courtrooms in Wales, Gizmodo notes.

2017

Lockdown in China

On September 25, 2017, it became known about the blocking of WhatsApp in China. This is another move by Beijing to increase online surveillance ahead of a Communist Party meeting. According to The New York Times (NYT), since mid-July 2017, some application functions have ceased to be available for many WhatsApp users in the Celestial Empire, including video chats and sending files.

Lokman Tsui, an Internet communications specialist at the University of Hong Kong, told the publication that serious problems in WhatsApp began on Sunday, September 24. The next day, WhatsApp blocked the ability to send messages to Chinese users. At the same time, Lockman Tsui noted that there is a possibility that some users can still use the messenger.

According to Nadim Kobeissi, a cryptography specialist at the French research company Symbolic Software, blocking WhatsApp text messages may indicate that Chinese censors have developed special software that could cope with the data encryption technology used by the messenger. Read more WhatsApp # Blocking in China.

WhatsApp team fails to live up to users' hopes of protecting privacy

On July 11, 2017, experts from the non-profit organization Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) concluded that efforts by the administration of the WhatsApp messenger to protect user privacy were insufficient.

The following criteria were used in the expert study:

• prohibition on the transfer of personal data to third parties,
• transparency of interaction with the state,
• checking for the legality of secret requests of the US Government
• championing changes to the law allowing widespread surveillance of citizens^[50].

Experts studied the activities of 26 technology companies. The highest score out of five possible received:

• cloud, data warehouse Dropbox
• Adobe,
• platform for creating Wordpress sites,
• ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft.

The worst scores went to:

• Tumblr,
• Twitter,
• Airbnb
• WhatsApp.

The first three services earned three points each, the messenger received two.

Experts noted that the WhatsApp administration does not protect users from transferring confidential data to third parties, does not inform them about requests from the authorities, does not check the legality of secret appeals from the American special services.

All correspondence in the messenger is encrypted through end-to-end encryption. However, the service administration collects metadata that contains information about the type of device, web pages viewed through the application and the mobile network to which the user number is associated.

According to the researchers, all this information is transferred to the authorities on request.

Deutsche Bank bans employees from WhatsApp

Germany's Deutsche Bank has banned its employees from using WhatsApp, Google Talk and iMessage messengers on corporate phones, according to Bloomberg^[51] on^[52].

It is noted that such a measure is due to the fact that text messages, unlike letters sent by e-mail, cannot be stored on the company's servers.

"We

are acutely aware that such a decision will change your day-to-day work and we regret the inconvenience caused. Nevertheless, this step is necessary for Deutsche Bank to continue to comply with regulatory and legal requirements, "the company said in an appeal to employees

.

Earlier, researchers at the University of Berkeley said they discovered a vulnerability in WhatsApp that allows users to read their correspondence.

WhatsApp vulnerability allows access to someone else's correspondence

University of California researcher Tobias Boelter has discovered a vulnerability in WhatsApp's instant messaging system that allows users to read and intercept correspondence.

The problem is because WhatsApp, unbeknownst to the sender and recipient of the messages, can generate new keys for offline users. Thus, the service re-encrypts and sends messages that are not marked as "delivered."

As noted by The Guardian, recipients do not have the opportunity to find out about the key change, while senders can receive a corresponding notification only by activating the "Show security notifications" option in the settings. Re-sending enciphering and re-sending allows WhatsApp to effectively intercept and read user messages^[53]

The specified vulnerability does not affect the Signal protocol used in WhatsApp for communication. The problem is related to the feature of the messaging mechanism used in the messenger for users who are offline.

For end-to-end encryption of messages, unique keys are used, which are confirmed by both messaging participants. If the recipient has changed his key while offline, the sender-side delivery engine will automatically recode all messages waiting to be sent with the new key. Thus, the sent messages will be encrypted not with the original key of the interlocutor, but with another key that the service will generate.

2016

Tele2 subscribers can use WhatsApp without paying for Internet traffic

Tele2, an alternative mobile operator, launched the Plus Messengers service in November. The option allows subscribers of the company to use the WhatsApp messenger without paying for Internet traffic.

The Plus Messengers service provides unlimited Internet traffic in the WhatsApp application and the Internet version of the messenger. Earlier, Tele2 zeroed the transfer of data in the WhatsApp application at "heavy" packet tariffs. Thus, the new option is aimed at tariff users who do not include free traffic in the messenger.

The Plus Messengers service includes non-tariff messaging, transfer of photo and video content. Voice and video call traffic via WhatsApp is paid by the user according to the current tariff plan and discounts.

You can activate the Plus Messengers service in your My Tele2 personal account or using the * 155 * 521# command. To disable the option, dial the combination * 155 * 520#. The subscription fee for using the service is 2 rubles per day. The service is also available to the company's corporate customers.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messengers among Tele2 subscribers: 4.75 million customers use this application, and more than 2.5 million subscribers of the operator communicate daily using the service.

Germany bans WhatsApp from transferring user data to Facebook

The social network Facebook should stop collecting data from German WhatsApp users, as well as delete data that has already been received from the messenger. This is stated in the decree of the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Johannes Caspar ^[54]

The decision is explained by the fact that Facebook and WhatsApp are independent companies that process user data using various rules and privacy policies.

In addition, Caspar notes that after the takeover of WhatsApp, the companies promised that the exchange of data between them would not happen. WhatsApp's decision to hand over data to Facebook is misleading for users and the public, and a violation of Germany's data protection law.

How to disable WhatsApp data transfer on Facebook

If you do not want all your personal data and the data of your friends from your phone to go to Facebook, as well as avoid them being used for advertising purposes and then constantly receive ads from others, then you need to open WhatsApp, go to "Settings" - "Account (User account)," "Give account information," select "Do not share."

WhatsApp turned it on automatically and if you don't turn it off within 30 days, then it will do it

WhatsApp messenger will start making money on its billion-dollar audience

WhatsApp changed the service's privacy policy in August 2016, according to the company's official blog. The terms of use of the messenger are changing for the first time in the last four years, they reflect the company's plans to introduce new monetization models^[55].

There are two main changes. First, WhatsApp will now allow companies to send messages to messenger users. WhatsApp remains an app to keep in touch with friends and family, however, the company wants to explore ways to help people communicate with companies without third-party advertising banners and spam, it said. This is, for example, a notification from the bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction or an alert from the airline about a flight delay. WhatsApp plans to test new features over the coming months.

The second change in WhatsApp's privacy policy concerns the transfer of data about messenger users to its shareholder, Facebook. "Despite the fact that WhatsApp will continue to operate as a separate service from Facebook, we plan to exchange information with Facebook in order to establish coordination and improve the experience of using our services," WhatsApp said in a statement. This will allow Facebook to use a WhatsApp user's phone number, giving advertisers the ability to better customize their ads, the FT noted. WhatsApp user numbers will become part of Facebook's existing database, which the company (anonymously) shares with advertisers. The blog of WhatsApp itself says that if the WhatsApp number is combined with the social network base, Facebook will be able to "offer more accurate recommendations from friends and display relevant ads." At the same time, a WhatsApp user can refuse to merge his data with a Facebook profile within 30 days from the moment the databases begin to merge.

WhatsApp caught storing remote chats

An unpleasant feature was discovered by security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski. He managed to find out while studying the images of disks taken from the latest version of the application, reports The Verge^[56].

The vulnerability found indicates that even messages removed from the application can be read by hackers or police officers, but for this they will need to gain physical access to the device. Zdziarski also noted that data can be extracted from a backup in the cloud.

The problem applies only to the iOS version of WhatsApp. This means that law enforcement agencies that will receive a warrant to check information in the iCloud cloud will be able to extract messages removed from the messenger. Anyone with physical access to an iPhone or a computer with a phone backup can do the same.

Free messenger

On January 18, 2016, the development company WhatsApp announced that the messenger became free^[57]

She announced this in her blog.

As we developed, we realized that this was the wrong approach. Many WhatsApp users do not even have a bank card. And they worry they may lose touch with their friends and relatives after the first year. The board will be canceled in the application on all platforms within a few weeks. WhatsApp developers

The developers said that canceling a subscription will not entail the appearance of advertising - it will not be, as before. The new earnings model, according to the company, will allow WhatsApp to communicate with companies and organizations from which users want to receive information: this may be a notification from the bank, a warning from the airline about a flight delay or other information messages.

Downloading and using the official WhatsApp client for all types of smartphones and phones (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Nokia) is free.

WhatsApp has enabled encryption for all its users

In April 2016, it became known that the WhatsApp messenger turned on encryption for all its users. Now all calls and correspondence will not be available for wiretapping or hacking by third parties.

WhatsApp has introduced "endpoint" encryption for all its users, whose number exceeds 1 billion people. Recently, there has been a sharp discussion about services with encryption elements and how their work should be "friends" with law enforcement, recalling Apple's recent confrontation with the FBRSA.

The latest update is designed to ensure that all data sent by one user to another, including messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents and calls, are securely protected. Even Whatsapp will not have access to this data, which will make it difficult for government agencies to access user information.

The trend towards full encryption on the Internet leaves fewer and fewer opportunities for attackers to use intercepted data. This means that a layer of attacks related to data compromise will inevitably develop. That is why it is so important that the crypto environment supports new technologies and ciphers and does not allow the use of compromised ones.

WhatsApp will receive the function "share music"

The iOS version of the messaging app will add the ability to share music. WhatsApp messenger users will be able to share their music with their loved ones and friends. This feature has already been added to the beta version of the application for smartphones running iOS, according to the Fone Arena portal, citing the German edition of Macerkopf^[58]. Moreover, it will be possible to exchange not only tracks that are stored in the memory of a mobile device, but also songs from Apple Music. Such musical messages will be indicated by a special picture in the form of a note, and you can listen to the track immediately. In addition, public groups will appear on WhatsApp, entry to which will be available via a special link. However, community administrators will be able to withdraw the link or close the group at any time. Also in the beta version there were mentions. Now, as on Twitter, it is enough to enter the @ symbol and mark the person from the address book during a conversation with the interlocutor.

2010: Adding Android support

OS support Android was added WhatsApp to in 2010.

2009: Development of the first version of WhatsApp

The very first version of WhatsApp was developed in January 2009. Initially, the application was developed exclusively for iOS, despite the fact that Android already existed at that time.^[59]

Notes