Hackers could have full access (;) to everything on the phones of WhatsApp users.

This was possible through a security issue disclosed by WhatsApp itself last week. All a hacker had to do to control your phone was send you a malicious video or start a video call with you on WhatsApp.

You are probably thinking ;Yeah, but if I updated WhatsApp to the latest version, I am safe, right;?

Not really.

A WhatsApp security issue exactly like this one was discovered in 2018, then another in 2019 and yet another one in 2020 (tap each year;s link to see the corresponding vulnerability). And yes, in 2017 before that. Prior to 2016, WhatsApp didn;t have encryption at all.

Every year, we learn about some issue in WhatsApp that puts everything on their users; devices at risk. Which means it;s almost certain that a new security flaw already exists there. Such issues are hardly incidental – they are planted backdoors. If one backdoor is discovered and has to be removed, another one is added (read the post ;Why WhatsApp will never be secure; to understand why).

It doesn;t matter if you are the richest person on earth – if you have WhatsApp installed on your phone, all your data from every app on your device is accessible, as Jeff Bezos found out in 2020. That;s why I deleted WhatsApp from my devices years ago. Having it installed creates a door to get into your phone.

I;m not pushing people to switch to Telegram here. With 700M+ active users and 2M+ daily signups, Telegram doesn;t need additional promotion. You can use any messaging app you like, but do stay away from WhatsApp – it has now been a surveillance tool for 13 years.