Reportedly, one quite shocking news came, as the phone number of approx 500 million WhatsApp users has been leaked. This is a part of a data breach and the same is up for sale on a particular hacking forum. Also, the database which has been leaked comprises the private information of WhatsApp users. It contains data from 84 countries and includes around 32 million records from the US itself and also millions of users from India, Egypt, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Bulgaria, and more. The leaked database is up for sale for $7,000 (approx Rs 5,72,000).
WhatsApp data breach
As per the news reported by Cybernews, the hacker has posted the data of more than 500 million on sale for $7,000. Also if someone is intended in a particular country then the cost is a little low. To be more specific then one needs to spend just $2,500 in order to access the private information of WhatsApp users out there in the UK.
It has been claimed by a source that when they contacted the seller, he shared 1,097 numbers which are based out of UK as a proof. On doing the investigation further, the numbers turned out to be valid. As they are all used to register WhatsApp accounts. Although, it is not confirmed yet where and how this data was obtained. Notably, approx 6 million WhatsApp users in India have been affected by these recent data leaks.
To take the advantage of this article in order to inform that this leak of WhatsApp user data that has been breached, is further used for committing online scams and crimes. Whereby users are often asked to click on a provided link or give their credit card information. It also uses some sensitive information. All these ultimately lead to the loss of hard-earned money.
The recommendation in order to avoid data breach
On the other side, there’s no possible way to tell whether of whom number has been exposed in this data breach. While it is recommended to avoid clicking on a suspicious links. Therefore anyone receiving such a link on their device. It is better to refrain from opening it until and unless you’re quite sure about its source of origination.
WhatsApp or Meta, specifically have also faced such breaches in the past as well. And this should be resolved as soon as possible as it hampers the image of platforms.