New WhatsApp bug may steal files, messages with GIFs

SAN FRANCISCO : A security bug has been found in Facebook-owned instant messenger WhatsApp that could let attackers to obtain access to a device and steal data by sending a malicious GIF file.

The danger stems from a double-free bug in WhatsApp, according to a researcher going by the nickname Awakened, The Next Web reported on Wednesday.

A double-free vulnerability is a memory corruption anomaly that could crash an application or open up an exploit vector that attackers can abuse to gain access to users’ device.