{"id":1604,"date":"2025-06-18T10:09:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T10:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/?p=1604"},"modified":"2025-06-18T10:09:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T10:09:30","slug":"can-a-foreign-government-hack-whatsapp-a-cybersecurity-expert-explains-how-that-might-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/can-a-foreign-government-hack-whatsapp-a-cybersecurity-expert-explains-how-that-might-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a foreign government hack WhatsApp? A cybersecurity expert explains how that might work"},"content":{"rendered":"

By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Earlier today, Iranian officials urged the country\u2019s citizens to remove the messaging platform WhatsApp<\/a> from their smartphones. Without providing any supporting evidence, they alleged the app gathers user information to send to Israel.<\/p>\n

WhatsApp has rejected the allegations. In a statement to Associated Press<\/a>, the Meta-owned messaging platform said it was concerned \u201cthese false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them most\u201d. It added that it does not track users\u2019 location nor the personal messages people are sending one another.<\/p>\n

It is impossible to independently assess the allegations, given Iran provided no publicly accessible supporting evidence.<\/p>\n

But we do know that even though WhatsApp has strong privacy and security features, it isn\u2019t impenetrable. And there is at least one country that has previously been able to penetrate it: Israel.<\/p>\n

3 billion users<\/h2>\n

WhatsApp is a free messaging app owned by Meta. With around 3 billion users<\/a> worldwide and growing fast, it can send text messages, calls and media over the internet.<\/p>\n

It uses strong end-to-end encryption<\/a> meaning only the sender and recipient can read messages; not even WhatsApp can access their content. This ensures strong privacy and security.<\/p>\n

Advanced cyber capability<\/h2>\n

The United States is the world leader<\/a> in cyber capability. This term describes the skills, technologies and resources that enable nations to defend, attack, or exploit digital systems and networks as a powerful instrument of national power.<\/p>\n

But Israel also has advanced cyber capability, ranking alongside the United Kingdom, China, Russia, France and Canada.<\/p>\n

Israel has a documented history of conducting sophisticated cyber operations. This includes the widely cited Stuxnet<\/a> attack that targeted Iran\u2019s nuclear program more than 15 years ago. Israeli cyber units, such as Unit 8200<\/a>, are renowned for their technical expertise and innovation in both offensive and defensive operations.<\/p>\n

Seven of the top 10 global cybersecurity firms maintain R&D centers<\/a> in Israel, and Israeli startups frequently lead in developing novel offensive and defensive cyber tools.<\/p>\n

A historical precedent<\/h2>\n

Israeli firms have repeatedly been linked to hacking WhatsApp accounts, most notably through the Pegasus spyware developed by Israeli-based cyber intelligence company NSO Group<\/a>. In 2019, it exploited WhatsApp vulnerabilities to compromise<\/a> 1,400 users, including journalists, activists and politicians.<\/p>\n

Last month, a US federal court ordered the NSO Group to pay WhatsApp<\/a> and Meta nearly US$170 million in damages for the hack.<\/p>\n

Another Israeli company, Paragon Solutions<\/a>, also recently targeted nearly 100 WhatsApp accounts. The company used advanced spyware to access private communications after they had been de-encrypted.<\/p>\n

These kinds of attacks often use \u201cspearphishing<\/a>\u201d. This is distinct from regular phishing attacks, which generally involve an attacker sending malicious links to thousands of people.<\/p>\n

Instead, spearphishing involves sending targeted, deceptive messages or files to trick specific<\/em> individuals into installing spyware. This grants attackers full access to their devices \u2013 including de-encrypted WhatsApp messages.<\/p>\n

A spearphishing email might appear to come from a trusted colleague or organisation. It might ask the recipient to urgently review a document or reset a password, leading them to a fake login page or triggering a malware download.<\/p>\n