Recently, tensions between Israel and Iran have continued to escalate, with Iranian state television urging citizens to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones. The reason given was that the app collects user information and sends it to Israel. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, responded to this statement, expressing concern over these false accusations and pointing out that such remarks could be used as a pretext to block its communication services.
According to reports from the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, Iranian authorities have warned the public to stop using WhatsApp, Telegram, and other “location-based applications,” claiming that these apps are primary tools for Israel to identify and target individuals. However, Iran has not provided any publicly verifiable evidence to support these accusations.
A spokesperson for WhatsApp has publicly stated that We are concerned about these false reports, as they could limit telephone communication at a time when the public needs services the most.Meta further emphasizes that the company will not track users’ locations or personal information, and all messages are protected by end-to-end encryption.
While it’s challenging to independently verify Iran’s claims, Israel is indeed renowned for its advanced cyber attack capabilities, ranking alongside the UK, China, Russia, France, and Canada as one of the world’s cyber superpowers. The Israeli Unit 8200 is famous for its technical expertise and defensive innovations, having executed complex cyber operations against Iran’s nuclear program during the Stuxnet attack 15 years ago. Currently, seven of the top ten global cybersecurity companies have established R&D centers in Israel, and Israeli startups often lead the charge in developing next-gen offensive and defensive cyber tools.
It’s worth mentioning that certain companies in Israel have previously been involved in WhatsApp account hacking incidents, most notably the NSO Group’s development of the Pegasus spyware. In 2019, this company exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp to hack into the accounts of 1,400 users, including journalists, activists, and political figures.
Recently, a U.S. federal court ruled that NSO Group must pay nearly $170 million in damages to WhatsApp and Meta. Additionally, another Israeli company, Paragon Solutions, has targeted nearly 100 WhatsApp accounts, using advanced spyware to access private communications after decrypting messages. These types of attacks typically employ “spear-phishing” techniques, sending deceptive messages or files to specific targets to trick them into installing spyware. Once the attackers gain full access to the device, they are able to read the decrypted WhatsApp messages.
Source: AP
