- #Whatsapp for mac malware update
- #Whatsapp for mac malware code
- #Whatsapp for mac malware download
- #Whatsapp for mac malware windows
This simple trick opened up a vast world of opportunity for cybercriminals and scammers, in effect allowing easy “WhatsApp Phishing”.
#Whatsapp for mac malware download
We were surprised to find that WhatsApp fails to perform any validation on the vCard format or the contents of the file, and indeed when we crafted an exe file into this request, the WhatsApp web client happily let us download the PE file in all its glory:īut wait, there’s more! Clever attackers can exploit this in more devious scenarios, using the displayed icon to enrich the scam: TIMESTAMP: the timestamp of the sender device.NUMBER/GROUPID: the victim’s number or group ID.This is how vCard messages appear over-the-wire (with some reconstruction) when sent using WhatsApp’s protocol: To answer that, we have to examine WhatsApp’s communication protocols WhatsApp uses a customized version of the open standard Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP).
Once such a contact is created, all an attacker has to do is share it via the normal WhatsApp client.īut can we take it to the next level? Could we possibly discover a way to share malicious PE (.exe) files through WhatsApp’s default sharing features (no external links)?
#Whatsapp for mac malware windows
When executed, Windows will attempt to run all lines in the files, including our controlled injection line.įurther research showed that no XMPP interception of crafting is needed for this attack, since any user can create such a contact with an injected payload on their phones, no hacking tools necessary:
To run malicious code, Kasif found out an attacker could simply inject a command to the name attribute of the vCard file, separated by the ‘ &’ character. Let’s see what’s inside the downloaded file (i.e.
#Whatsapp for mac malware code
This means, once the victim clicks the downloaded file (which he assumes is a contact card), the code inside the batch file runs on his computer. BAT, which indicates a Windows batch (executable script) file: The implication of this innocent action is downloading a file which can run arbitrary code on the victim’s machine:ĭuring Kasif’s research, he found that by manually intercepting and crafting XMPP requests to the WhatsApp servers, it was possible to control the file extension of the contact card file. This is a screenshot for a possible contact vCard sent by a malicious user:Īs you can see, this message (contact card) appears legitimate, like any other contact card most users would click it immediately without giving it a second thought. The vulnerability lies in improper filtering of contact cards, sent utilizing the popular ‘vCard’ format. This includes images, videos, audio files, locations and contact cards.
WhatsApp Web allows users to view any type of media or attachment that can be sent or viewed by the mobile platform/application. On August 27, WhatsApp rolled out the initial fix (in all versions greater than ) and blocked that particular feature.
#Whatsapp for mac malware update
To make sure you are protected, update your WhatsApp Web right now.Ĭheck Point shared its discovery to WhatsApp on August 21, 2015. WhatsApp verified and acknowledged the security issue and have deployed the fix in web clients world-wide.
To target an individual, all an attacker needs is the phone number associated with the account. Once opened, the alleged contact is revealed to be an executable file, further compromising computers by distributing bots, ransomware, RATs, and other malwares. All an attacker needed to do to exploit the vulnerability was to send a user a seemingly innocent vCard containing malicious code. At least 200M are estimated to use the WhatsApp Web interface, considering publicly available web traffic statistics.Ĭheck Point security researcher Kasif Dekel recently discovered significant vulnerabilities which exploit the WhatsApp Web logic and allow attackers to trick victims into executing arbitrary code on their machines in a new and sophisticated way. In September 2015, WhatsApp announced they had reached 900 million active users a month. WhatsApp Web is available for most WhatsApp supported platforms, including Android, iPhone (iOS), Windows Phone 8.x, BlackBerry, BB10 and Nokia smartphones. The web application mirrors all messages sent and received, and fully synchronize your phone and your desktop computer so that users can see all messages on both devices. WhatsApp Web is a web-based extension of the WhatsApp application on your phone.
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