Long weird messages and v-cards in WhatsApp can freeze users’ account and delete chat history permanently.
These messages make no sense when users try to read them. Their weird structure may make WhatsApp to misinterpret the messages or find it unable to read text. Inability to process these messages may also lead to an infinite crash, according to WABetaInfo.
In such cases, when users open WhatsApp, the application freezes and crashes. If they try to open the app again, it continues to crash.
Users will have to re-install the app, which will delete their chat history. They cannot retrieve it if there was no backup. Forwarded messages containing such long codes can affect several users at one time, WABetaInfo added.
These messages can also be simple v-cards or virtual contact files. When users open them, they might find 100 associated contacts, each having a very long weird name containing a crash code. Sometimes the v-card is entirely altered, injecting malware through them. This makes the situation worse, WABetaInfo said.
The Facebook-owned platform said that it has released a patch to address the issue, and has already begun rolling it out in the latest iOS software update.
“We strongly encourage users to keep their WhatsApp app and mobile operating system up to date and download updates whenever they’re available,” WhatsApp said in an emailed response.
The current issue comes after WhatsApp revealed six security vulnerabilities last week that could have allowed attackers to hack the accounts of 2 billion WhatsApp users globally. It introduced a security advisory page to reveal all such security updates and fixes.
