CAPE TOWN – A security issue has reportedly been spotted on WhatsApp that could provide full access to your conversations when creating a new account for a new phone number.
According to a report by Softpedia News, an Amazon employee named Abby Fuller claimed that she gained access to another user’s WhatsApp archive on her new phone because WhatsApp had failed to remove the chat history linked to the specific phone number.
The report stated that Fuller added that the messages were in plaintext, and were not restored by a backup.
Fuller took to Twitter to announce the issue saying: "Logged into Whatsapp with a new phone number today and the message history from the previous number's owner was right there?! this doesn't seem right."
Fuller received backlash for her complaint and posts as many users started to describe the rules and regulations to her.
In response, she tweeted: " My replies are full of people explaining Whatsapp to me. Guys, I get it (so pls stop explaining permissions and backups or “maybe you did x wrong")!
My point is that this is not (or should not be) the correct behaviour. No one should ever get someone else's messages."
According to WhatsApp’s own support documents, the message history associated with a specific phone number is completely removed after 45 days of inactivity.
However, Fuller claims that she had the number for longer than 45 days yet the person's WhatsApp history was still not deleted.
WhatsApp has yet to release an official statement or comment on the matter.
Here is what Fuller had to say:
logged into whatsapp with a new phone number today and the message history from the previous number's owner was right there?! this doesn't seem right.
— Abby Fuller (@abbyfuller) January 11, 2019
and now i'm wondering how many other times it's happened? like does whoever has my old number now have MY whatsapp history?
— Abby Fuller (@abbyfuller) January 11, 2019
My replies are full of people explaining whatsapp to me. Guys, I get it (so pls stop explaining permissions and backups or “maybe you did x wrong")!
My point is that this is not (or should not be) the correct behavior. No one should ever get someone else's messages. pic.twitter.com/ZUCOLtK1fi
— Abby Fuller (@abbyfuller) January 11, 2019
This number has been mine > 45 days (multiple month). Seems like the messages should have been wiped with the account but weren't (or were resent). Either way, account should have been wiped and was not. https://t.co/XmG1P1zPO2
— Abby Fuller (@abbyfuller) January 11, 2019