Personal Data Of 500 Million WhatsApp Users Up For Sale After Big Breach: Report

Phone numbers of nearly 500 million WhatsApp users have been leaked online in one of the biggest data breaches ever. Personal data of WhatsApp users is reportedly on sale on a hacking forum. A report by Cybernews claims that data of users from 84 countries has been put on sale.

The perpetrator claims that there are 32 million records of users from the US alone. People in other countries are also part of the leak, including places like India, Egypt, Italy, France, the UK, and Russia. The report adds that US dataset is available for $7,000 and the UK one will cost $2,500.

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Personal details at risk

Personal details of over 6 million WhatsApp users in India have been leaked in this breach, and it's unclear how much the hacker wants for leaking private information on Indian users.

#WhatsApp #dataleak: 500 million user records for sale. The #threat actor told @CyberNews they were selling the #US #dataset for $7,000, the #UK ¨C $2,500, and #Germany ¨C $2,000. Check if your country has been affected. Read more: https://t.co/YT8CwV2cLo#cybersecurity #infosec pic.twitter.com/ZsfakpLC3A

¡ª CyberNews (@CyberNews) November 26, 2022

When contacted by Cybernews, the seller shared 1,097 UK-based numbers as proof. Upon investigation, it was found that all these numbers were taken from WhatsApp accounts. Even then, the hacker hasn't divulged information about how this data was sourced.

Also read: WhatsApp Country Head, Meta India¡¯s Public Policy Director Have Quit The Company

Once this information gets into the wrong hands, it may be used for smishing and vishing, both of which involve sending the user a clickable link - leading them into a trap of more scams.

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WhatsApp is owned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, the same company that runs Facebook. Last year, personal data of over 500 million Facebook users (including 6 million records from India) was leaked online.

Also read: WhatsApp Rolls Out Polls Feature On iOS And Android: Here¡¯s How It Works

"The claim written on Cybernews is based on unsubstantiated screenshots. There is no evidence of a ¡®data leak¡¯ from WhatsApp," a WhatsApp spokesperson said. It's possible that the hacker accessed these personal details of WhatsApp users through a method called scraping, wherein data is obtained from various websites.

Cybernews' chief editor Jurgita Lapienyt? explained 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."

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. https://t.co/7x9aDFaKQa

¡ª Jurgita Lapienyt? (@lapienyte) November 26, 2022

She also wrote on November 27 - "We are all ears if you have any questions about the leak. Unfortunately, WhatsApp and Meta is still silent, days after I repeatedly asked for a comment and advice on how can people mitigate the risk."

We are all ears if you have any questions about the leak. Unfortunately, @WhatsApp and #Meta is still silent, days after I repeatedly asked for a comment and advice on how can people mitigate the risk https://t.co/7x9aDET9rA https://t.co/c7JMLHVfgN

¡ª Jurgita Lapienyt? (@lapienyte) November 27, 2022

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Regardless, it's dangerous to have your personal data at risk of such leaks. Do you think social media companies do enough to protect users as much as their profits? Let us know in the comments below.

For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Cybernews. WhatsApp data leak: 500 million user records for sale. https://cybernews.com/news/whatsapp-data-leak/

NDTV News Desk. (2022b, November 28). Data Of 500 Million WhatsApp Users Leaked, Up For Sale Online: Report. NDTV.com. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/whatsapp-data-leaked-data-phone-numbers-of-500-million-whatsapp-users-leaked-up-for-sale-online-report-3558403