In recent years, WhatsApp has become the most popular messaging app in the world, reaching a user base of 1.5 billion people who are active each month. Now, a vulnerability known as CVE-2019-3568 was detected in WhatsApp, so the devs released WhatsApp 2.19.150 to tackle it.
WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app
Released almost a decade ago the service offers a large selection of features which made it quite popular among many smartphone users. Among them, we can count the fact that the app is entirely free, and it doesn’t show ads. Users can send a large number of media files without problems, and they have the option to send and receive an unlimited number of messages and calls without the need to pay additional fees.
While the app is appreciated by many, some aren’t very enthusiastic about it. When Facebook acquired the service in 2014, some users decided to close their account, arguing that Facebook will find a way to exploit their data. High-ranking Facebook employees stated that WhatsApp would remain an independent service, but the company has come under some serious fire in recent years.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, has announced that the company will take extra steps to prove users a service which is reliable and secure but in the light of the Cambridge Analityca scandal, these claims are not very impressive.
WhatsApp 2.19.150 addresses the zero-day vulnerability known as CVE-2019-3568
WhatsApp has had its fair share of problems, even if it managed to escape the aura of mistrust which has started to grow around its owner. The service has faced several security bugs in recent years, with one of them surfacing after a new biometric security feature was introduced for iPhone users.
On May 14th a Zero-Day vulnerability was discovered. Malicious entities could exploit a buffer overflow stack, allowing them to execute code to WhatsApp VoIP remotely. This allowed them to send infected packages and run malware on a smartphone device by using the contact number.
The vulnerability was classified as CVE-2019-3568, and WhatsApp stated that it would be addressed. The latest update for the app, WhatsApp 2.19.150, has removed the issue, and the app is completely safe once again.
Daniel Kiss is the senior editor for News Lair. Daniel was working as a writer since he finished high-school, first for local papers then he started online, nowadays he likes to write about the latest games and tech innovations.