WhatsApp Launches New Features Amid Data Leak

Alex Kerai Consumer Trends Reporter

Updated 05 December 2022

WhistleOut fast facts

A massive WhatsApp data leak has led to nearly 500 million users’ data being sold online.
The claim was posted on a hacking community forum with data from over 84 countries.
This is not the first data breach that Meta Platforms, which owns WhatsApp and Facebook, has faced in the past year.
WhatsApp also announced new user features, including the ability to text yourself and Companion mode.

On November 16, someone posted on a hacking community forum claiming that they were selling the data of 487 million WhatsApp users. This data included the “very recent mobile numbers of users” from up to 84 countries, according to a screenshot of the claim on Cybernews.

This revelation does not bode well for WhatsApp, which prides itself on security and encryption for its users.

The poster was selling datasets for different price points: US data for $7,000, UK data for $2,500, and German data for $2,000. Anyone is able to buy the datasets.

Hackers, for example, can use phone numbers for smishing and vishing attacks (contacting users via text message or phone call, respectively), which can give them access to even more user data. As always, it is important to be cognizant of calls and messages from unknown numbers.

A spokesperson for WhatsApp said, “The claim written on Cybernews is based on unsubstantiated screenshots. There is no evidence of a ‘data leak’ from WhatsApp.” And although claims of a hack have been unfounded, the data leak appears to be real: Cybernews was able to independently verify 1,097 UK and 817 US user numbers from a shared sample.

Cybernews chief editor Jurgita Lapienytė wrote on Twitter, “There's no evidence WhatsApp has been hacked. The leak might be a scrape but that doesn't mean it's any less dangerous for the affected users.”

In fact, data scraping led to a data leak of Facebook users' personal data last year. Over 553 million users from 106 countries found their personal information—including names, mobile numbers, email addresses, genders, occupations, locations, and marital statuses—offered online. Meta Platforms owns both Facebook and WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp announced the ability to text yourself on the app and Companion mode, which allows users to use the same account across multiple phones. These new features come after WhatsApp launched Communities in early November.

The ability to text oneself is rolling out as part of the new version of WhatsApp for iOS (version 2.22.23.74) and Android (version 2.22.23.77). Messages sent to you by you are still end-to-end encrypted and will be visible on all linked devices. It's a great way to keep track of a to-do list, jot down an address, or send yourself a note.

And in a beta version of WhatsApp (version 2.22.24.18), the messaging app is introducing Companion mode, the ability to use your WhatsApp account across multiple phones. Ifyou use WhatsApp across multiple devices, you can easily link them with a QR code (similar to setting up a tablet or desktop account), and all of your messages and files stay in your account, regardless of device.

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Alex Kerai

Consumer Trends Reporter

As WhistleOut's Consumer Trends Reporter, Alex keeps up on the latest breaking mobile tech news in the U.S. and Canada, from smartphone development to network shutdowns. His work can be seen on The Penny Hoarder, Business.org, Biz2Credit, and more.

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