MP4 videos to GIFs: WhatsApp vulnerabilities that put users’ data at risk

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular instant messaging application. Naturally, it has become one of the top targets for cyber criminals around the world. Just recently, WhatsApp’s security vulnerabilities were exploited to inject Pegasus spyware and snoop on 1,400 individuals around the world. Facebook has now confirmed another security vulnerability which involved sending malicious MP4 video files.

The new vulnerability shows how simple things such as MP4 videos could put users’ data at risk. In the case of Pegasus as well, spyware could be injected through mere WhatsApp video calls, even if the receiver hasn’t picked up the call. Let’s take a look at some of the recent vulnerabilities that were exploited by hackers using popular file formats on the platform.