[liberationtech] Fwd: [WhatsApp backdoor allows snooping on encrypted messages]

[Rich Kulawiec]

It is long *past* time for everyone involved in the kinds of activities
discussed here to completely and permanently excise Facebook's
services/products from their computing environment.  No excuses.

---rsk


----- Forwarded message from Richard Forno <rforno at infowarrior.org> -----

> To: Infowarrior List <infowarrior at attrition.org>
> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2017 08:18:42 -0500
> Subject: [Infowarrior] - WhatsApp backdoor allows snooping on encrypted
> 	messages
> 
> 
> WhatsApp backdoor allows snooping on encrypted messages
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/13/whatsapp-backdoor-allows-snooping-on-encrypted-messages
> 
> A security backdoor that can be used to allow Facebook and others to
> intercept and read encrypted messages has been found within its WhatsApp
> messaging service.
> 
> Facebook claims that no one can intercept WhatsApp messages, not even the
> company and its staff, ensuring privacy for its billion-plus users. But
> new research shows that the company could in fact read messages due to
> the way WhatsApp has implemented its end-to-end encryption protocol.
> 
> Privacy campaigners said the vulnerability is a ???huge threat to freedom
> of speech??? and warned it can be used by government agencies to snoop
> on users who believe their messages to be secure. WhatsApp has made
> privacy and security a primary selling point, and has become a go to
> communications tool of activists, dissidents and diplomats.
> 
> < - >
> 
> Boelter reported the backdoor vulnerability to Facebook in April 2016,
> but was told that Facebook was aware of the issue, that it was ???expected
> behaviour??? and wasn???t being actively worked on. The Guardian has
> verified the backdoor still exists.
>