The whatsapp data leak may have involved as many as 35 million Italian telephone numbers. But on the other hand, it seems that some information pertains to a previous breachby Facebook. Check Point Software (CPR) try to take stock of the situation.
WhatsApp: 35 million Italian phone numbers involved in the data leak
Research by Check Point Research (CPR) highlights that the latest data breach involving WhatsApp may have involved 360 million numbers in 108 Countriesthe. All of this data would have been exposed on the darkweb, where CPR found millions of recordings available for purchase.
Each country has more or less exposed data, also based on the number of users. For example, Bosnia and Herzegovina has 604 while Italy has even 35 million. TAll data that in the first four days had been put up for sale. But which hackers are now freely distributing.
CPR said: “While the information being sold is only active phone numbers and not the content of the messages themselves, this is a massive, large-scale breach. An immediate consequence is the possibility of these numbers being used as part of phishing attacks through the app itself. We urge all WhatsApp users to pay close attention to the messages they receive and also when they have to click on links and messages shared on the app.”
However, it now appears to emerge that the database that surfaced is actually a reuse of an old leak from Facebook of 2019. CPR cannot confirm or prove that these numbers come from WhastApp users. But he keeps his blog updated to assess the situation.
When in doubt, it remains important for users to do pay special attention to suspicious calls or text messages: who ask for information about a package that you have not ordered, or who ask for personal data. If you are not sure, call the service in question and ask for information to avoid scams.