Think about discussing important details with your office colleagues on the team’s WhatsApp group, when a random person suddenly comes in. This person now has access to information such as the members’ details and the name and profile of the group. This was a real case where it was possible to find your private group conversation through Google Search. The issue was resolved back in 2019 but has now reappeared.
A new report by Internet Security Researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia (@rajaharia) suggests that WhatsApp groups that use links to allow users to log in, could again be so- injuries can be found online. This would theoretically allow anyone to join the group. Indian Express has proven the vulnerability and can prove that some WhatsApp groups may be connected from the web.
Do @WhatsApp organizations may not be as secure as you think. Invite your WhatsApp group chat Links, User Profiles are published again on @Google Again.
Story – https://t.co/GK2KrCtm8J#Infosec #Privacy #Whatsapp #infosecurity #CyberSecurity #GDPR #DataSecurity #dataprotection pic.twitter.com/7PvLYuM9xD– Rajshekhar Rajaharia (@rajaharia) January 10, 2021
Enables WhatsApp group conversations to be indexed, allowing those connections for private groups across the web to be searched, and come together. This allows researchers to find phone numbers of users along with the profile pictures. If one does not notice the unexpected entries into the group, the stranger could stay hidden for a while until someone understands his presence. What’s worse is that even after such strangers are kicked out of the group, their short entry still leaves them with the list of phone numbers in the group.
This happened before in 2019
Back in 2019, the same subject was discovered by a security researcher, who reported the case to Facebook. It was set up later after the case went public and attracted a lot of media attention. However, according to a report by Gadgets360, the same groups revealed in 2019 are no longer on index, suggesting that a different issue has led to the bugs.
Even user profiles are now listed on Google
The issue is not only with group invitation links but also with individual user account profiles. URLs of human profiles can now be searched on Google. This will allow strangers to access the profiles of those who have been indexed, displaying their phone numbers, and in some cases, their profile pictures as well. This issue has also happened before and it was reported that it was established in June 2020. Indian Express has reached out to WhatsApp for comment on the issue.
The latest issues are several privacy concerns against WhatsApp. A recent update in the privacy policy of the Facebook-owned messaging platform has also been put under the crosshairs. As a result, many disgruntled WhatsApp users are migrating to other apps.