A new security flaw allows stalkers to issue comprehensive reports on their victims’ WhatsApp usage using just a phone number. The flaw, identified by cybersecurity firm Traced, is in the online status notification feature, which opens up the possibility for third-party trackers to obtain additional usage information.

As per the report of traced, the apps escape the “stalkerware” label because they are not installed on the victims’ devices, but rather on the stalkers’ own. Most of these programs are available on both Google Play and the App Store, under the label parental control apps – a measure that, although necessary, can be used for surveillance and psychological abuse.

The stalker apps exploit a basic security flaw in WhatsApp: users cannot hide their online presence. While the app allows you to hide the last time someone used the messenger, the online status cannot be removed – in fact, this is mentioned in the faq of the utility.

In addition to being found in abundance on the internet, some of these stalkerwares can generate reports that show everything from when the person is checking WhatsApp to who they are chatting with. Some of them monetize the ability to track more than one number, displaying reports side by side to cross-reference data and find out if these people are chatting.

Avoiding stalkers

Unfortunately, there is no way around the app's online status issue. “This is just a poorly done work on WhatsApp’s part,” explains Eva Galperini, director of digital security at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

“This is a typical example of what happens when companies don’t think about abusive relationships when they’re making their design decisions. WhatsApp should have given users the ability to turn off their online status from the start, and they need to fix this as soon as possible.”

Eva Galperini, director of digital security at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

To protect yourself from the WhatsApp breach and avoid being a victim of stalkers, the digital security company recommends one of two options: either the user changes their number or changes the messenger. Either way, options abound.

Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. AndroidPolice

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