Why WhatsApp will never be safe? Meets Pavel Durov
News Technologies / / December 19, 2019
Creator Telegram Pavel Durov published an article criticizing WhatsApp. According to him, the messenger is not, never was and never will be safe for users.
The occasion for the article was last news about another vulnerability in WhatsApp, which allows to install on the smartphone spy virus with the help of a call. Paul said that this is not the first such case with the messenger, so there is nothing to be surprised.
Highlights from the article Pavel Durov:
- Last year, attackers have found a loophole to access user data via the incoming video call. Then hackers could gain full access to all the data the user on his smartphone.
- At the site of a critical vulnerability WhatsApp always appears new. And they are all suspiciously well suited to track people. They are very similar to the backdoors - intentionally built loopholes that allow access to user data.
- WhatsApp not only did not disclose its source code, but also complicates the analysis, therefore, independent experts is very difficult to verify the messenger for the presence of "holes". Telegram is absolutely transparent, his code is in the public domain.
- Probably, Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, forced to build in backdoors as part of an FBI nondisclosure orders. However, in addition to the anti-terrorism considerations have to be taken into account and that the backdoor can be used by anyone, including criminals and authoritarian regimes. With Telegram same FBI tried to contact several times, but all in vain.
- WhatsApp is up and running in the United States for 10 years without causing any claims by the intelligence services. Moreover, it is not blocked in Iran and Russia, which banned Telegram, which may indicate that the authorities of these countries can spy on their citizens is through WhatsApp.
- Start of work on the Telegram in 2012 was a response to pressure from the Russian authorities. Then in WhatsApp messages transmitted in plain text without any encryption, it seemed this madness.
- Added later encryption was only a marketing ploy. The keys to decrypt were at least at several governments, including Russia.
- Three years ago, WhatsApp announced that it has implemented through encryption, so that "no third party could not gain access to the messages." The introduction of this innovation coincided with the backup progress chats in the cloud. In this case, WhatsApp has not told its users that their backups, just do not have similar protection and can be accessed by hackers and law enforcement agencies.
- Even if you do not use backup in WhatsApp for you can be monitored by other receptions - from access to the backups of your interlocutors to obscure substitution encryption keys chats.
- Metadata generated WhatsApp users - logs describing who, with whom and when to communicate, - in large volumes are transmitted to the authorities.
- Many people can not stop using WhatsApp, as their friends and family are still there. This means that the Telegram works well enough to convince people to switch. Most Internet users are still being held hostage Empire Facebook / WhatsApp / Instagram.
- Many of those who have in the Telegram, WhatsApp and parallel use, which means that their phones are still vulnerable to third parties.
- Even those who are completely abandoned WhatsApp, is likely to use Facebook or Instagram, and these services are considered normal storage of passwords in clear text.
- There was not a day for the entire 10-year history of WhatsApp, when the service would be safe. At the same Telegram 6 years of existence, there was no major leaks. Telegram opened 0 bytes of information to third parties.
- Few people realize that the majority of new and useful features first appear in the Telegram, and then copied to WhatsApp. Visual confirmation of Facebook trying to borrow the whole philosophy Telegram - recent update her social network. Zuckerberg said the privacy and the speed of the importance of quoting almost verbatim description Telegram app.
- Telegram we must recognize our responsibility in shaping the future. Our team is competing with Facebook for the past 13 years. We already beat them one day in the market of social networks in Eastern Europe, and will do it again, but on the world stage.
- Facebook marketing department is huge. We in marketing Telegram does. We do not want to pay reporters and researchers, so that they tell the world about us. To do this, we are counting on you - millions of our users.
- If each user Telegram convince his 3 friends remove WhatsApp and all go to the Telegram, Telegram has become more popular than WhatsApp. Thus, the era of greed and hypocrisy finally over. Will begin an era of freedom and privacy.
The full article can be read Paul here. So in conclusion, it is another quote that makes you wonder:
I understand the reluctance of the founders of WhatsApp to provide more information - not just compromise your comfort. A few years ago I had to leave their country after refusing to comply with state-sanctioned violation of confidentiality VKontakte users. It was frustrating. But if I do something like that again? Willingly. Each of us sooner or later die, but we as a species will remain for some time. That's why I think that the accumulation of money, fame or power does not matter. Service to humanity - the only thing that really matters in the long run.