Older versions of WhatsApp are reported to have critical security vulnerability and with that being said, you will be required to patch things up now. The reason for this is simple. Crooks can easily run malicious code remotely on WhatsApp if things are not taken care of.
Older Versions of WhatsApp Are Reported To Have Critical Security Vulnerability
Social media platform WhatsApp has now patched a major security vulnerability that lets threat actors run malicious code on targeted endpoints remotely.
Just as explained in its official security advisory, the flaw is an integer overflow vulnerability that was discovered in WhatsApp for android prior to the v2.22.16.12, business for android prior to v2.22.16.12, iOS prior to v2.22.16.12, and business for iOS prior to v2.22.16.12.
The vulnerability right now is tracked as CVE-2022-36934 and carries a vulnerability score of 9.8 and in the process placing it in the ‘critical’ territory.
The Importance of the Updates
Just as explained by The Verge, the flaws spotted allowed threat actors to run malicious code remotely on targeted devices by sending out a specially made video call. The malicious code could then result in the device getting various types of malware installed, or even have sensitive data and identities lost or stolen.
Users on the other hand whose mobile apps don’t automatically update are advised to manually update as soon as possible.
And as part of the same update, WhatsApp fixed yet another flaw which is similar in its potential and style of execution. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2022-27492. This very flaw will let threat actors run malicious code on the pap by sending out video files that are specially crafted. And unlike the first flaw, this one has a low severity score of 7.8 but it is however still deemed ‘critical’.
WhatsApp Has Just Recently Made Some Significant Usability Upgrades to Its Platform
While security upgrades on systems are always a good reason to update the app, WhatsApp also has just recently made some significant usability upgrades.
The company in August 2022 announced a new version of its Windows app, which will no longer need to be connected to the smartphone and can work completely on its own or standalone.
The WhatsApp client for Windows 11 (and 10) previously was a web-based (Electron) effort, but the new app now which has moved from beta to its full release, is a native client, and what’s more, it works independently not needing the services of your smartphone.
