Again bad news for WhatsApp users: After news about the Trojan horse caused uncertainty just a few days ago, a study by an IT security company is now Trace Highlight internal weaknesses. This allows anyone who knows your mobile phone number to legally track when you are online and whether or not you are typing.
Stalkers have an easy job
The reason is that information about a person’s online status is freely available to everyone – just like the information on whether or not they are currently writing. Problem: With many apps this data can be queried quite simply by entering numbers and even summarizing them into regular statistics – legally! Although app store providers such as Google regulate the content of their stores and also scan them for “stalking software,” many of these apps creep in under the pretext of providing a way for parents to control their children’s online behavior. It is easier for stalkers to use websites, some of which advertise publicly, to offer a way to monitor their ex-partner or spouse. There is no need to download the software here – the victim number is sufficient. In some cases, it is even possible to enter multiple numbers and identify matches in online behavior and typing.
you can do it
Anyone hoping to use WhatsApp’s privacy settings will be disappointed. Although there is a setting for seeing status, this indicates status updates (i.e. shared photos deleted after a certain period of time). In fact, there is no setting in WhatsApp to highlight internet connection status. So far, one can only hope that the settings will be updated by WhatsApp. In principle, the risk for you arises from two factors: that someone knows your cell phone number that does not concern you well, and that you use WhatsApp. Therefore, if you feel threatened by this vulnerability, the only thing that will help you first is to change the cell phone number or calling platform, according to security experts at Traced.
