New Delhi: A security flaw in Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp has put some 200 million users at risk from hackers – allowing cybercriminals to install malware on their PCs.
According to Check Point - a security firm that originally found the vulnerability – hackers were sending vCards to random phone numbers they had obtained.
It said that the Vcard sent by hackers contained a malicious code that would distribute bots, ransomware and remote access tools (RATs) on a person's phone or PC.
While bots could enable hackers take control of your computer, ransomware makes victims to pay a ransom to access to their system. Remote administrative tools enables a hacker to spy on you remotely.
The problem was fixed by WhatsApp, but Check Point claimed that machines could still be infected.
Check Point said the vulnerability affected the web version of WhatsApp, which it estimated has around 200 million active users often via their Pcs.
WhatsApp Web is a computer based extension of the WhatsApp account on your phone. It lets users access their messages in Chrome, bringing one of the world's largest messaging platforms to the desktop.
Initially, WhatsApp Web was restricted to Android, BlackBerry, Windows devices only, but now it's also available to iPhone users.
