470,000 WhatsApp Group Invites Available Through Google

The ability for individuals to simply find an invite link on the internet and join a private WhatsApp group is horrifying. WhatsApp users will have very little control over this, and their personal data could be at risk should a threat actor decide to infiltrate a group chat. There is no reason for links to be made public, and the fact that they have could deal a major blow to WhatsApp’s reputation, with individuals deciding to use Signal or Telegram instead. These chat apps focus more on privacy and user security, so are ideal for users who value their privacy in messages. While WhatsApp’s messaging may be encrypted in the middle, those who have been accepted into a group chat have the encryption key to read. Allowing potentially bad actors access to private group chats invalidates many of the platform’s claims to security, and could facilitate further crimes once these individuals have access to personal information.  Read Less