A new report says that WhatsApp has suffered a data breach, resulting in the sale of information from 500 million users.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps with over a billion users. However, this week there is some disturbing news about the app. According to a report, the data of more than 500 million WhatsApp users has been hacked and is being sold online for a pretty low price.
WhatsApp data revolves around phone number and according to details from Cybernews, a hacker has published this data for users from different countries.
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According to the report, the data breach and sale specifically affects 487 million WhatsApp users from 84 countries. Many of these users are located in the US, the UK, Italy, Egypt and India.
More specifically, 45 million victims come from Egypt, 35 million from Italy and 32 million from the United States.
The hacker is selling user data at different prices, depending on the country. According to the report, US WhatsApp user data is being sold for $7,000, while UK user data is priced at just $2,000. Germany is in the middle at $2,500.
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The hacker has not shared details about how he obtained the data. It is worth noting that WhatsApp is a platform owned by Meta . Meta platforms have been targeted by hackers before . In the past, cybercriminals have put Facebook user data up for sale .
WhatsApp has not confirmed this report and the hacker. A company spokesperson reportedly told NDTV.com that there is no evidence of a "data leak" from WhatsApp.
WhatsApp numbers have now become a powerful tool for spammers and phishing attacks. So, if you receive a message from an unknown WhatsApp number, avoid clicking on links or engaging in any conversation. The sender can use this trick to infect your device with malware, which can help them gain remote access to the device.
See also: Ducktail:Phishing campaign via WhatsApp targets Facebook Ad Accounts
Additionally, implementing some basic security practices can help. These include a reliable antivirus that blocks various cyber threats and, for online privacy, a VPN.
Source: www.news18.com
