Here's The Two Important Things To Do To Avoid The Latest WhatsApp Scam

The social messaging platform WhatsApp was just recently placed on the hot seat for a new data privacy controversy, which involves a new UK law that will allow government agencies to read encrypted WhatsApp messages. This week, the messaging platform is once again on the headlines for a newly discovered security bug that can be exploited and used by hackers to steal WhatsApp accounts and wreak havoc.

A Singapore-based security researcher named Awakened first discovered the security bug, and the bug allows hackers to gain access to mobile devices and steal important files. This latest security risk can be triggered just by sending an animated GIF inside the messaging applications, the Daily Express reported.

However, this latest security bug only impacts Android-powered devices, mostly those running older versions of the Android operating system. This gives you some chance to avoid the most recent online threat. Users are strongly advised to take this security alert seriously. Here are the two crucial things you need to do to prevent the WhatsApp scam.

Update the Android version of the mobile device

This is the first thing to do to avoid this latest online threat. As what the Daily Express reported earlier, the newest scam uses some sort of GIF attack. However, it only works on older versions of the Android mobile operating system. The latest Android 10 operating system brings several new features and improvements. These include a new gesture navigation system and better controls around data privacy. The later version also brings many security tweaks.

And more importantly, this latest version of Android does not support aging applications, like the older versions of WhatsApp, that are highly vulnerable to the GIF attack. You can also check the latest company's blog post regarding security threats and bugs.

Update the WhatsApp application

In case you can’t update your Android smartphone, there’s a second option to avoid this online threat. WhatsApp has already addressed this vulnerability in their recent security patch version 2.19.244 or newer versions. So, it is strongly advised to download the latest update from the Google Play Store app to avoid this security nightmare.