WhatsApp Vulnerability Left iPhones Vulnerable to Israeli Spyware [Updated]

[MacRumors]

WhatsApp today disclosed a vulnerability that allowed hackers to remotely exploit a bug in the app's audio call system to access sensitive information on an iPhone or Android device.

According to The New York Times, attackers were able to insert malicious code into WhatsApp, allowing them to steal data, regardless of whether or not a WhatsApp phone call was answered.

Security researchers said that the spyware that took advantage of this flaw featured characteristics of the Pegasus spyware from NSO Group, which is normally licensed to governments who purchase the spyware for installing on the devices of individuals who are the target of an investigation.

Description:A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of SRTCP packets sent to a target phone number.

Affected Versions: The issue affects WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.19.134, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.19.44, WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.19.51, WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.19.51, WhatsApp for Windows Phone prior to v2.18.348, and WhatsApp for Tizen prior to v2.18.15.

The vulnerability was described by WhatsApp as "nontrivial to deploy, limiting it to advanced and highly motivated actors," but it's not clear how long the security flaw was available nor how many people were affected. It was used to target a London lawyer who has been involved in lawsuits against the NSO Group, and security researchers believe others could have been targeted as well.

WhatsApp engineers "worked around the clock" to address the vulnerability, and made a patch available on Monday. The initial vulnerability was discovered ten days ago after WhatsApp found abnormal voice calling activity following complaints from the aforementioned lawyer. WhatsApp says that it has notified the Department of Justice and a "number of human rights organizations" about the issue.

Update: Reader comments suggested that some of the wording in this article was confusing or misleading, so we have updated it to make sure the details of the vulnerability are clear. Specifically, this issue impacted WhatsApp, not the iOS operating system.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: WhatsApp Vulnerability Left iPhones Vulnerable to Israeli Spyware [Updated]

 

[McG2k1]

Uh oh, watch out palestinians.

 

[farewelwilliams]

not as bad as the FaceTime bug/exploit.

 

[Slix]

Remember all the comments the other day about WhatsApp being more secure than iMessage?

 

[pika2000]

Facebook: Nobody shall spy on our minions than ourselves.

 

[Sasparilla]

Shocking (not), the top messaging app in many countries is compromised by a State run security agency. The question is whether this was by accident, partnership or from someone on the inside.

Apple's OS's, messaging apps and ROMs have to be prime targets by just about every security agency out there.

 

[haruhiko]

Original post removed due to misinformation. Sorry.

 

[macfacts]

Remember all the comments the other day about WhatsApp being more secure than iMessage?

So a bug in WhatsApp can install unsigned apps? That sounds like iOS has the bigger security bug

 

[stylinexpat]

So who here finds this surprising? This couldn't possibly happen from our ally now could it..? Maybe the Palestinians, Hamas,Iranians or Hezbollah was behind it

 

[konqerror]

WhatsApp came from Israel, FYI.

Uh no. WhatsApp was a Silicon Valley company. None of the founders are Israeli. The initial investor was a major Silicon Valley VC firm.

 

[m0sher]

Anyone else find it extremely disturbing Israelis spying?

Luckily they don’t make phones.

 

[stylinexpat]

Anyone else find it extremely disturbing Israelis spying?

Luckily they don’t make phones.

You forget?

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

How did this vulnerability make it past the App Store review process? Do app reviewers take bribes to allow spy trash like this into apps?

 

[Mascots]

How did this vulnerability make it past the App Store review process? Do app reviewers take bribes to allow spy trash like this into apps?

This exploit is sideloaded and delivered to WhatsApp outside of the App Store.

The App Store itself does not vet apps for vulnerabilities (that would be impossible), but it does vet them for these types of warez directly.
[doublepost=1557803453][/doublepost]

So a bug in WhatsApp can install unsigned apps? That sounds like iOS has the bigger security bug

I just searched a little and it looks like this exploit is scoped solely to WhatsApp's VOIP stack (and within the sandbox) and whatever WhatsApp had permissions for. It will access all of your photos, if you've allowed WhatsApp access, for example.

I can't find any evidence of any additional system exploiting, yet. But this seems why it's able to affect such a wide range of systems - it is spyware within WhatsApp itself.

 

[Intellectua1]

Nah, not on iOS, it's so private and secure things like this or the carrier tracking situation could never be an iPhone issue. Yeah Privacy Timmy!
[doublepost=1557803965][/doublepost]

Shocking (not), the top messaging app in many countries is compromised by a State run security agency. The question is whether this was by accident, partnership or from someone on the inside.

Apple's OS's, messaging apps and ROMs have to be prime targets by just about every security agency out there.

iOS has been cracked most likely, the information just hasn't been leaked. There's nothing in this day and age that can't be exploited.

 

[m0sher]

You forget?

Good example.

I’m being naïveté , every country is doing it, just that it’s illegal and I wonder what consequences we should start holding against those who do get caught?

And more importantly what tech can do to prevent it and protect us?

 

[Shirasaki]

Good example.

I’m being naïveté , every country is doing it, just that it’s illegal and I wonder what consequences we should start holding against those who do get caught?

And more importantly what tech can do to prevent it and protect us?

No. No tech can prevent this happen and protect people because people running those tech companies do not care about general public and their situations. This is always the problem of the people, not the tech.

 

[verpeiler]

Anyone else find it extremely disturbing Israelis spying?

Luckily they don’t make phones.

I find Americans spying even more disturbing.
Lucky they don’t make phones either.

 

[realtuner]

So a bug in WhatsApp can install unsigned apps? That sounds like iOS has the bigger security bug

Nah, not on iOS, it's so private and secure things like this or the carrier tracking situation could never be an iPhone issue. Yeah Privacy Timmy!

Two ridiculous comments. So if iOS is the problem, how come the fix was done via a patch to the WhatsApp App itself and also a server side update to WhatsApp? How come there's no updates for iOS or Android (since, you know, this exploit also worked with WhatsApp on Android) to fix this issue?

NVM, because Apple.

 

[Marshall73]

not as bad as the FaceTime bug/exploit.

I’d say it’s arguably worse as they could remote install software to your phone which could do any number of things including scraping all of your information stored on the phone.

 

[farewelwilliams]

I’d say it’s arguably worse as they could remote install software to your phone which could do any number of things including scraping all of your information stored on the phone.

apps are sandboxed so even if it took over the whatsapp completely, it has no access to files outside what whatsapp is allowed to access. at least on iOS.

of course Android is a different story.

 

[Marshall73]

apps are sandboxed so even if it took over the whatsapp completely, it has no access to files outside what whatsapp is allowed to access.

This is true. Although there is the possibility of zero day exploits in iOS which would allow them to access data outside of the sandbox. A zero day bug like this would be far more dangerous when you already have access to the phone remotely.

A many zero day exploits need physical device access or user interaction. And many hacks on other platforms require the use of multiple exploits to work.

 

[stylinexpat]

I wonder whom that could be...? Saudi for one and I think many others as well including Israel.

https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/13/whatsapp-call-exploit-allowed-spyware/

"While the perpetrators haven't been identified", there are suspicions that it may be a Middle Eastern country trying to clamp down on criticism of its human rights practices.

 

[apolloa]

So a bug in WhatsApp can install unsigned apps? That sounds like iOS has the bigger security bug

Yes I was thinking that. I mean Whatspp was obviously buggy, or considering Facebook own it it was by design.... anyway, it had this bug that allowed it to completely bypass any and all iOS security??
That’s a failure of the iOS coding is it not? It’s not protecting those back doors.

 

[gnasher729]

iOS has been cracked most likely, the information just hasn't been leaked. There's nothing in this day and age that can't be exploited.

"In this day and age" - how old are you?
[doublepost=1557816988][/doublepost]I would really like to know what are actual known facts, and what has been made up by some "journalist" based on their imagination, or on their wish to make the article found more interesting.

If there is a bug in an application that allows a hacker to install software on an iPhone, then this is a major, major vulnerability in iOS. So there are clearly two possibilities: Either there is a HUGE vulnerability in iOS, or the bit of installing software on the iPhone is just in someone's imagination.