WhatsApp bug let hackers hijack accounts with a video call, claim reports
LONDON: A bug in Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service allowed hackers to take over users' applications when they answered an incoming video call, technology websites ZDnet and The Register reported on Wednesday.
The vulnerability, which affected WhatsApp applications on Apple and Android smartphones, was discovered in late August and was fixed by Facebook in early October, according to a technical disclosure report posted online.
Facebook did not respond to requests for immediate comment. It is unclear whether the bug was ever used in an attack before it was fixed.
"This is a big deal," Travis Ormandy, a researcher at Google Project Zero which discovered the bug, said on Twitter.
"Just ++answering a call from an attacker could completely compromise WhatsApp." Facebook has suffered a string of security-related problems in the last year.
The company last week disclosed its worst-ever security breach affecting nearly 50 million accounts.
Courtesy: timesofindia
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Delegation requests for Karnataka HC Bench in coastal districts, hands petition to Chief Justice
Udupi: A delegation of the High Court Bench Struggle Committee met and submitted a petition to the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru at the Circuit House urging the opening of a High Court Bench in the coastal belt as well as a Mobile High Court Bench in Mangaluru.
MLC and convener of the Committee Ivan D’Souza, who spoke to the Chief Justice on the occasion, explained that the people of the coastal belt find it difficult to travel to Bengaluru to fight a petition in the High Court. The problem only aggravated during monsoon. D’Souza added that there was a delay in clearing the cases of Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts, which was causing further inconvenience to the people.
The MLC, who pointed out that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also shown his preference for establishing a High Court Bench in the coastal region, requested for an approval to establish a Mobile High Court Bench first.
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Responding to this request, Chief Justice Bakhru assured to take action on the request as soon as possible.
The delegation included Mangalore Bar Association President Raghavendra HV, Dakshina Kannada Principal Government Pleader MP Noronha, General Secretary Sridhar H, Udupi Bar Association President Reynold Praveen Kumar, General Secretary Chandrashekhar Shetty, Vice-president Devadas V Shettigar and Brahmavar Bar Association President Kadoor Praveen Shetty.
