A critical flaw allows hackers to install software on your smartphone without your knowledge.
Meta issues the alert: the instant messaging application WhatsApp has a major vulnerability that potentially exposes hundreds of millions of smartphones to hacks. The American company asks users to update the software as soon as possible.
The flaw in question has been fixed with the latest software update. Users who have installed it therefore do not run any risk.
For others, however, the risk of hacking is very real since the old version of the software would allow hackers to execute code remotely. A bug in the video call function would indeed allow malicious people to hack devices remotely. Once inside the system, hackers could install software of all types and gain access to all your data.
It is currently unknown whether the flaw has been actively exploited. Since the information is now public, it seems obvious that hackers will try to exploit this flaw.
If you had correctly configured your device, your WhatsApp application was most certainly updated automatically, when you were connected to a wifi network. You can check its status by logging into the App Store or Play Store, searching for WhatsApp and checking whether there is an update or not. If so, apply it ASAP because Meta insists the flaw is extremely critical.
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