Facebook’s premier messaging platform has patched a number of vulnerabilities, the most notorious of which saw the platform warn users that it had been compromised by the Israeli spyware firm NSO. This could pose the risk of malware being planted on an infected device, a device used to eavesdrop or even a remote takeover. According to Facebook, the issue affects the following versions of WhatsApp:Android versions prior to 2.19.274iOS versions prior to 2.19.100Enterprise Client versions prior to 2.25.3Windows Phone versions before and including 2.18.368Business for Android versions prior to 2.19.104Business for iOS versions prior to 2.19.100. The critical risk with a Whatsapp vulnerability is the ease by which an attacker can be mounted. Using WhatsApp as the delivery channel for an infection makes for a remarkably easy attack vector—you only need a phone number after all.

Source: Forbes November 16, 2019 18:22 UTC