A new vulnerability in WhatsApp messages has been identified. The cybersecurity company Kaspersky reports that users can be attacked through a document received via message, and upon opening it, a virus is installed that takes control of the computer.

WhatsApp is once again a target for hackers through user chats. The warning is to be vigilant with messages from contacts to avoid further damage.

According to the cybersecurity company, this is a global attack. “The list of affected countries includes Spain, Mexico, Brazil, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Australia, Russia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.”

The situation is not easy considering that the attackers infiltrate the platform, and the message appears to be from a friend or coworker. “At a technical level, it’s based on a file in a format called VBScript, which is very well hidden so that the computer’s antivirus software doesn’t trigger it. To deceive the victim, the attackers change the document’s name according to the language of the country they want to target.”

One of the clues analyzed by Kaspersky is user complaints on social media about stolen accounts, where cybercriminals begin to indiscriminately release the infected file to see how many people they can actually fall for it.

The situation worsens once the complete package is downloaded with a program called ManageEngine Endpoint Central, “which allows a company’s IT staff to remotely control computers and connects them directly to the hackers’ servers.” If the user has the WhatsApp Desktop application on Windows, there’s not much they can do, “since the hidden code can be opened directly with a double-click due to the operating system’s built-in tools.”

M.Pino

Source: computerhoy

(Reference image source: Dimitri Karastelev on Unsplash)

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