{"id":50670,"date":"2023-02-21T16:45:50","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T16:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/34349\/Accidental-WhatsApp-Account-Takeovers-Its-A-Thing.html"},"modified":"2023-02-21T16:45:50","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T16:45:50","slug":"accidental-whatsapp-account-takeovers-its-a-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/accidental-whatsapp-account-takeovers-its-a-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Accidental WhatsApp Account Takeovers? It&#8217;s A Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A stranger may be receiving your private WhatsApp messages, and also be able to send messages to all of your contacts \u2013 if you have changed your phone number and didn&#8217;t delete the WhatsApp account linked to it.<\/p>\n<p>Your humble vulture heard this bizarre tale of inadvertent WhatsApp account hijacking from a reader, Eric, who told us this happened to his son, Ugo.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a massive privacy violation,&#8221; Eric said. &#8220;My son had long-lasting access to that person&#8217;s private messages as well as group messages, both personal and work related.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"adun\" data-pos=\"top\" data-raptor=\"condor\" data-xsm=\",fluid,mpu,\" data-sm=\",fluid,mpu,\" data-md=\",fluid,mpu,\"> <noscript> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/jump?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=2&amp;c=2Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ad?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=2&amp;c=2Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0\" alt> <\/a> <\/noscript> <\/div>\n<p>The security hole stems from wireless carriers&#8217; practice of recycling former customers&#8217; phone numbers and giving them to new customers.<\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"adun\" data-pos=\"top\" data-raptor=\"falcon\" data-xmd=\",fluid,mpu,leaderboard,\" data-lg=\",fluid,mpu,leaderboard,\" data-xlg=\",fluid,billboard,superleaderboard,mpu,leaderboard,\" data-xxlg=\",fluid,billboard,superleaderboard,brandwidth,brandimpact,leaderboard,mpu,\"> <noscript> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/jump?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=4&amp;c=44Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ad?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=4&amp;c=44Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D426raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" alt> <\/a> <\/noscript> <\/div>\n<div class=\"adun_eagle_desktop_story_wrapper\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"adun\" data-pos=\"mid\" data-raptor=\"eagle\" data-xxlg=\",mpu,dmpu,\"> <noscript> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/jump?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=3&amp;c=33Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ad?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=3&amp;c=33Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" alt> <\/a> <\/noscript> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>WhatsApp acknowledges that <a href=\"https:\/\/faq.whatsapp.com\/3347469605523961\" rel=\"nofollow\">this can happen<\/a>, but says it&#8217;s extremely rare.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We take many steps to prevent people receiving unwanted messages, including expiring accounts after a period of sustained inactivity,&#8221; a WhatsApp spokesperson told <em>The Register<\/em>. &#8220;If for some reason you no longer want to use WhatsApp tied to a particular phone number, then the best thing to do is transfer it to a new phone number or delete the account within the app.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"adun\" data-pos=\"top\" data-raptor=\"falcon\" data-xsm=\",fluid,mpu,\" data-sm=\",fluid,mpu,\" data-md=\",fluid,mpu,\"> <noscript> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/jump?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=4&amp;c=44Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ad?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=4&amp;c=44Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D426raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" alt> <\/a> <\/noscript> <\/div>\n<p>&#8220;In all cases, we strongly encourage people to use two-step verification for added security,&#8221; the spokesperson continued. &#8220;In the extremely rare circumstances where mobile operators quickly re-sell phone lines faster than usual, these additional layers help keep accounts safe.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not a widespread problem, at least not yet, but a data privacy issue nonetheless, and a cautionary tale for users of any messaging service that uses mobile phone numbers as a primary form of user identification. Oh, and the WhatsApp spokesperson is spot on about two-factor verification, which everyone should use anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what happened.<\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"adun\" id=\"story_eagle_xsm_sm_md_xmd_lg_xlg\" data-pos=\"mid\" data-raptor=\"eagle\" data-xsm=\",mpu,dmpu,\" data-sm=\",mpu,dmpu,\" data-md=\",mpu,dmpu,\" data-xmd=\",mpu,dmpu,\" data-lg=\",mpu,dmpu,\" data-xlg=\",mpu,dmpu,\"> <noscript> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/jump?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=3&amp;c=33Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ad?co=1&amp;iu=\/6978\/reg_security\/front&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=3&amp;c=33Y-UXnzon8j5xTsKtfXbaOQAAAEY&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0\" alt> <\/a> <\/noscript> <\/div>\n<p>Ugo was a long-time WhatsApp user in Switzerland with his account tied to his Swiss phone number. In October, he moved to Paris for work, got a new French phone number and a new SIM card. All the while he was using WhatsApp, which continued sending and receiving messages per usual, unaware of the phone number change.<\/p>\n<p>Later that month, he changed his phone number with WhatsApp, and then things got ugly. Here&#8217;s what happened, according to Eric:<\/p>\n<p>Eric disclosed the issue to WhatsApp and parent company Meta, and was told that it&#8217;s a recycled phone number issue, not a WhatsApp-specific bug. &#8220;For example, if a number has a new owner and they use it to log into Facebook, it could trigger a Facebook password reset,&#8221; the security team told him. &#8220;If that number is still associated with a user&#8217;s Facebook account, the person who now has that number could then take over the account.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meta admitted that &#8220;this is a concern,&#8221; but told Eric that it didn&#8217;t qualify as a bug for the bug bounty program. &#8220;Facebook doesn&#8217;t have control over telecom providers who reissue phone numbers or with users having a phone number linked to their Facebook account that is no longer registered to them,&#8221; the email said.<\/p>\n<p>According to Eric, however, WhatsApp could take steps to mitigate the problem, like regular checking to ensure a user&#8217;s phone number is correct.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At the very least when they see that someone is requesting a phone number change (from A to B) and they see that there is an active account on phone number B that does not seem to have anything to do with the also active account attached to phone number A, challenge the account on phone number B to prove that they still own phone number B or update their number,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>For its part, WhatsApp provides a help page about how to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/faq.whatsapp.com\/1197347060992858\/?helpref=hc_fnav\">transfer phones<\/a>, and recommends if someone wants to stop using WhatsApp <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/faq.whatsapp.com\/828406668498455\">altogether<\/a>, they should <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/faq.whatsapp.com\/2138577903196467\/?helpref=hc_fnav&amp;cms_platform=android\">delete their accounts<\/a>. \u00ae<\/p>\n<p> READ MORE <a href=\"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/34349\/Accidental-WhatsApp-Account-Takeovers-Its-A-Thing.html\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>READ MORE HERE&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[10384],"class_list":["post-50670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-packet-storm","tag-headlineprivacyphonedata-lossfacebook"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Accidental WhatsApp Account Takeovers? 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