WhatsApp security has a major flaw - here's how you can protect yourself

WhatsApp reportedly has 1.5 billion active users with projections of adding many more users on the online messaging portal. Time to time various security issues have also been found in the messenger. Various security breaches and the quality of encryption in the messages have been one of the many issues. Recently, a major security flaw in WhatsApp has surfaced over the internet. 

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WhatsApp security issue

The latest security flaw allows hackers to patch malicious entities inside MP4 and GIF files. If the user watches a video patched with the virus, attackers can target that device and cut its internet functionalities. The device will no longer be able to access the internet and all applications that run on it. This kind of cyber attack is called Denial-of-service (DoS) attack. 

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This bug has reportedly affected both major operating system platforms of Android and IOS. Android users running WhatsApp versions below 2.19.274 and IOS users running Whatsapp versions below 2.19.100 can be affected with this bug. It is being advised that updating WhatsApp version to its latest will stop the users from being vulnerable to the cyber attack. 

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WhatsApp's privacy update

Tweaking your privacy settings can also make a significant difference to protect your phone from the bug. With WhatsApp's latest update rolling out soon, users can choose whether to be a part of a group chat or no, which was not a choice for the user to make earlier. A user can now block unknown numbers from adding them to group chats. The new privacy policy will reportedly introduce an invite system to protect a user's privacy. More so, downloading video files from unknown numbers with potential bugs malicious files can be further prevented with the new privacy policy of WhatsApp. The new privacy settings have reportedly been rolled out to a few users and will be available worldwide in the coming days. 

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