WhatsApp data breach reportedly leaks info of 500 million users

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WhatsApp data breach overview: 

• Who: A WhatsApp data breach allegedly leaked the active mobile phone numbers of nearly 500 million of its users. 
• Why: A threat actor reportedly posted on a popular community selling databases containing stolen mobile phone numbers. WhatsApp reportedly denies the breach.
• Where: The WhatsApp data breach reportedly affected users nationwide. 

A threat actor reportedly posted that it would sell databases of the up-to-date mobile phone numbers of almost 500 million WhatsApp users from around the world on a community hacking forum earlier this month.

The allegedly stolen data consists of info from a total of 487 million WhatsApp users from a total of 84 different countries, including more than 32 million users in the United States, CyberNews reports. 

The threat actor reportedly informed CyberNews that it would sell the U.S. dataset, which includes information hackers use to conduct vishing and smishing attacks, for $7,000. 

CyberNews advises WhatsApp users to avoid answering unsolicited calls or texts coming from unknown numbers in the wake of the alleged WhatsApp data breach.

CyberNews investigation confirms dataset contains phone numbers of WhatsApp users

CyberNews reportedly conducted an investigation from a sample of the dataset the threat actor provides, determining that all of the phone numbers included in it did in fact belong to WhatsApp users. 

The threat actor did not reveal how it was able to allegedly steal the data from WhatsApp but insisted that all of the numbers collected belong to active users of the messaging and video calling application, CyberNews reports. 

WhatsApp, meanwhile, denies the data breach, saying in a statement that it has found no evidence of one and claims the reported data breach was based on “unsubstantiated screenshots,” Mint reports. 

In related WhatsApp news, last month, the company, along with owner Meta Platforms, filed a lawsuit against three companies based out of China and Taiwan over claims they tricked millions of WhatsApp users into installing malware-infected unofficial versions of the service. 

Have you been impacted by the WhatsApp data breach? Let us know in the comments! 

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