WHEN I ASKED A CYBER EXPERT THAT SHOWED ME THE VULNERABILITIES,
HE REMINDED ME THAT WE NEED TO
BE CAREFUL USING WHATSAPP OR ANY
OTHER APP.
OTHER APP. FOUR IN ONE IN THE WORLD USE
WHATSAPP.
WHATSAPP. YOU PROBABLY THINK OF IT AS AN
UNHACKABLE WAY OF COMMUNICATING.
NO MESSAGING APP IS UNHACKABLE.
BUT HOW MUCH WORK WOULD IT TAKE
SOMEBODY TO GET INSIDE WHATSAPP
AND FIND YOUR SECRETS?
WE’RE HERE TO FIND OUT.
COOPER QUENTIN IS A SENIOR
TECHNOLOGIST HERE.
TECHNOLOGIST HERE. HE SAYS PLATFORMS LIKE WHATSAPP
ARE YOUR BEST DIGITAL OPTION.
>> I WOULD SAY THAT THE MOST
SECURE FORM OF COMMUNICATION IS
AN IN-PERSON CONVERSATION.
>> Reporter: RIGHT.
>> THE SECOND-MOST SECURE FORM
OF COMMUNICATION IS ANY
END-TO-END ENCRYPTED MESSENGER,
LIKE SIGNAL, WHATSAPP, WIRE, ALL
GOOD OPTIONS.
GOOD OPTIONS. >> Reporter: QUENTIN SAYS
END-TO-END INKREPGS ISENCRYPTION
SAFEST BET BECAUSE IT SCRAMBLED
AND UNSCRAMBLES MESSAGES.
NORMAL TEXT MESSAGES ARE NOT
SAFE BECAUSE THEY PASS THROUGH
CELL TOWERS.
CELL TOWERS. AND FACEBOOK MESSENGER IS NOT
ENCRYPTED AT ALL.
THOSE CONVERSATIONS SIT ON
COMPANIES’ SERVERS AND ARE
VULNERABLE TO HACKERS AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. IF SOMEONE INSTALLS MALWARE ON
YOUR PHONE, ENCRYPTION WILL NOT
HELP YOU.
HELP YOU. >> ONCE I GET SOME MALWARE ON TO
YOUR PHONE, THE GAME IS OVER.
>> Reporter: TO DEMONSTRATE, HE
CONDUCTED A TEST, WHERE AN
E-MAIL ASKED FOR MY PASSWORD.
YOU SENT ME TO A PAGE THAT LOOKS
LEGIT.
LEGIT. >> SINCE I FISHED YOUR PASSWORD.
I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, INCLUDING
YOUR PHOTOS FROM WAETS APPHATSAP
>> Reporter: I SHOT THESE A
COUPLE HOURS AGO.
ONCE YOU’VE TRICKED ME INTO
GIVING THE PASSWORD, THE GAME IS
UP.
UP. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT APP I’M
USING, YOU CAN ACCESS ANYTHING?
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> Reporter: BUT SECURITY
BREACHES ARE VERY RARE.
HE BELIEVES JEFF BEZOS PROBABLY
GOT A CUSTOM ATTACK VIA
WHATSAPP.
WHATSAPP. >> TO COME UP WITH THE THING TO
SEND BEZOS TO DEVELOP THE
MALWARE THAT WOULD BE INSTALLED
ON HIS PHONE, ALL OF THIS TAKES
MORE MONEY AND MORE TIME.
>> Reporter: NOT TO MENTION, YOU
NEED TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH
JOSEPH BEZOS, SO HE SAYS, I’LL
CLICK ON THIS.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. AND YOU NEED TO HAVE HIS PHONE
NUMBER.
NUMBER. >> Reporter: THE HEAD OF
WHATSAPP TOLD US, THAT
END-TO-END ENCRYPTION IS
CRITICAL TO KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE.
AND WHATSAPP WILL CONTINUE TO
PROVIDE SECURITY FOR ALL
MESSAGES AND CALLS.
EN
EN ENCRYPTED OR NOT.
WITH USERS TURNING TO WHATSAPP,
FACEBOOK MESSAGING TO SHARE
PICTURES AND TEXTS, YOUR DEVICE
CAN BECOME A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR
HACKERS.
HACKERS. >> I WAS JUST CLEARING ALL OF MY
CHATS.
CHATS. WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU WANT TO
PROTECT YOUR DATA?
>> Reporter: THERE ARE SEVERAL
THINGS YOU CAN DO.
KEEP YOUR PHONE UPDATED.
THE COMPANIES THAT MAKE THE
PHONES ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE
YOU’RE PROTECTED.
YOU’RE PROTECTED. KEEP IT UPDATED.
AND USE TWO-STEP AUTHENTICATION.
IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO
THAT, DO THAT.
KEEP LOOKING INTO THE PHONE.
MAKE SURE YOU RECOGNIZE
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ENABLING
ENCRYPTION WHEN YOU ARE ABLE.
AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE’S NO
APP ON THERE THAT YOU SAY, WHAT
IS THIS?
IS THIS? I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS IS.
IF YOU SEE ONE, NOT ONLY SHOULD
YOU DELETE IT, YOU MIGHT THROW
THE PHONE AWAY.
IT FEELS WEIRD, YOU GUYS, FOR US
TO REACH OUT TO ONE ANOTHER AND
SAY, LET’S TAKE THE CONVERSATION
TO WHATSAPP.
TO WHATSAPP. CAN YOU INSTALL THAT, PLEASE.
BUT THE WAY THE SECURITY
PERSONNEL THINK ABOUT IT, IT’S
LIKE WASHING YOUR HANDS BEFORE
YOU SHAKE HANDS.
IT’S POLITE.
IT’S POLITE. IT’S A WAY OF SAYING I CARE
ABOUT MY PRIVACY.
I CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY.
LET’S USE AN ENCRYPTED THING TO
TALK BACK AND FORTH.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING
BAD.
BAD. >> IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE
THAT CONVERSATION IN PERSON, SO