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WhatsApp
Apple Cyber Crime Cyberattacks CyberCrime DMA Compliant E2EE iMessage Messenger Meta Privacy Protocol Technology Fusion TikTok WhatsApp

Signal Protocol Links WhatsApp, Messenger in DMA-Compliant Fusion

 


As part of the launch of the new EU regulations governing the use of digital "gatekeepers," Meta is ready to answer all of your questions about WhatsApp and Messenger providing end-to-end encryption (E2EE), while also complying with the requirements outlined in the Digital Markets Act (DMA). A blog post by Meta on Wednesday detailed how it plans to enable interoperability with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp in the EU, which means users can message each other if they also use Signal's underlying encryption protocol when communicating with third-party messaging platforms. 

As the Digital Markets Act of Europe becomes more and more enforced, big tech companies are getting ready to comply with it. In response to the new competition rules that took effect on March 6, Google, Meta, and other companies have begun making plans to comply and what will happen to end users. 

There is no doubt that the change was not entirely the result of WhatsApp's decision. It is known that European lawmakers have designated WhatsApp parent company Meta as one of the six influential "gatekeeper" companies under their sweeping Digital Markets Act, giving it six months to allow others to enter its walled garden. 

Even though it's just a few weeks until the deadline for WhatsApp interoperability with other apps approaches, the company is describing its plans. As part of the first year of the regulation, the requirements were designed to support one-to-one chats and file sharing like images, videos, or voice messages, with plans for these requirements to be expanded in the coming years to include group chats and calls as well. 

In December, Meta decided to stop allowing Instagram to communicate with Messenger, presumably to implement a DMA strategy. In addition to Apple's iMessage app and Microsoft's Edge web browser, the EU has also made clear that the four parent companies of Facebook, Google, and TikTok are "gatekeepers," although Apple's parent company Alphabet and TikTok's parent company ByteDance are excluded. 

ETA stated that before the company can work with third-party providers to implement the service, they need to sign an agreement for interoperability between Messenger and WhatsApp. To ensure that other providers use the same security standards as WhatsApp, the company requires them to use the Signal protocol. 

However, if they can be found to meet these standards, they will accept others. As soon as another service sends a request for interoperability, Meta is given a window of three months in which to do so. The organization warns, however, that functionality may not be available for the general public to access immediately. 

The approach Meta has taken to interoperability is designed to meet the DMA requirements while also providing a feasible option for third-party providers looking to maximize security and privacy for their customers. For privacy and security, Meta will use the Signal Protocol to ensure end-to-end encrypted communication. This protocol is currently widely considered the gold standard for end-to-end encryption in E2EE.
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Technology
Cyberattacks CyberCrime Facebook Instagram Messenger Meta Subscription Model Technology

Meta Extends Ad-Free Facebook and Instagram Premium Access Worldwide



With the introduction of its ad-free subscription service, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, offers European users the chance to enjoy their favourite social platforms without being bombarded with advertisements. The recent ruling of the EU's Court of Justice ordered Meta to obtain the consent of users before personalizing any ads for those users in response to a recent ruling issued by the Court of Justice of the EU. With this move, Meta is showing that it is complying with the regulatory framework that is changing in the European Union. 

According to the announcement, users in these regions will have the opportunity to choose between continuing to use the platforms for free ad-support or signing up for a free ad-free subscription experience in November. There is no possibility that the user information will be used for targeting adverts during the subscription period. 

Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union are soon going to be able to enjoy an ad-free experience but at a cost. Starting in November of this year, we will be able to opt into the new, premium service offered by Meta, which is the company’s parent company that owns the platforms. Meta is the company behind the platforms that operates the platforms and is the parent company of Meta. 

Regarding pricing, 18-and-up users will be asked to pay €9.99 per month (roughly $10.55 per month) if they want to access sites without advertisements through a web browser, and €12.99 for users who want to access websites through streamlined iOS and Android apps. Facebook users will not be shown ads on Facebook or Instagram after enrolling in the program, and their data and online activities will not be used to tailor future ads based on their browsing activity. 

Every additional account added to a user's Account Center in the future will be charged an additional fee of €6 per month for the web and €8 per month for iOS and Android devices beginning on March 1, 2024, by way of an increase of fees every month.

Historically, Meta has operated solely by offering free social networking services to its users, and by selling advertising to companies who wish to reach those users. As a result of data privacy laws and other government policies that are affecting technology companies, especially in Europe, it illustrate the fact that companies have been redesigning their products to comply with those policies. 

It is estimated that more than 450 million Europeans, across 27 countries, use Amazon, Apple, Google, TikTok and other companies to comply with new rules in the European Union. The number of people using Facebook each month is estimated to be 258 million, according to Meta's estimates. According to Meta's estimate, 257 million people use Instagram every month as well. 

For iOS and Android, it is important to note that the prices are adjusted based on the fees imposed by Apple and Google by their respective purchasing policies. The subscription will be valid until March 1, 2024, for all linked accounts within the Account Center of a user for six months. A monthly fee of €6 will, however, be charged starting March 1, 2024, for each additional account listed in a user's Account Center, starting on the web and €8 for iOS and Android. 

Meta was effectively barred from combining data collected from users across its various platforms - including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - as well as from outside websites and apps in July, by the European Court of Justice, the highest court in the European Union, to protect the privacy of users. The E.U. regulators issued the fine in January for forcing Meta users to accept personalized ads as a requirement of using Facebook in a condition of fines of three billion euros. That decision was issued in response to a violation of privacy regulations. This may be a solution to comply in full with the judgment provided that we offer a subscription service without displaying adverts to our subscribers in Europe, Meta said in response to the European Court of Justice's judgement of July. 

A subscription can allow users to access the platforms without being exposed to the advertising that is displayed to their subscribers. There has been no paid and ad-free subscription for services like Facebook and Instagram since Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg were formed in the early days of the company. As far as they are concerned, they have always believed that they can only offer their services for free, provided that advertisements accompany them. 

However, Meta is now offering a way for Instagram and Facebook users to subscribe to both services through one simple option. Due to pressure from the European Union, the move was made after the move was put forward, and therefore, the option is only available to customers in the European Union. 

This means that Instagram users in India will remain exposed to ads no matter whether they choose them or not, and will still see them on their feeds. In any case, if Instagram subscription plans prove to be popular in the European Union and Meta sees value in them, it might be possible for similar Instagram subscription plans to be introduced to India in the future.

It does seem quite a steep subscription price - even more so if users look at the figures in Indian rupees which would be Rs 880-Rs 1150 - but given that it allows users to enjoy Instagram and Facebook in ad-free settings, it is tempting. As well as this promise, Meta also promises that users of their paid plans will not be able to use their personal information for targeted marketing purposes. 

A short time ago Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview that Facebook wants their users to have free access to their service and added ads to it so that users and the company benefit from the process. This is one of the things that has been talked about again and again by Facebook and their CEO.

There will be no change to the ad-supported experience that Facebook and Instagram currently provide to users who choose to continue using the service for free. In Meta, users will be able to control their ad preferences and the ads shown to them as well as the data used for ad targeting by using tools and settings that will enable them to influence what ads they see and what data is used.

It is important to note that advertisers will continue to be able to target users who have opted for free, ad-supported online services in Europe, so they will still be able to conduct personalised advertising campaigns. To preserve both user and business value on its platforms, Meta commits to investing in new tools that offer enhanced controls over ad experiences on its platforms, so it can preserve value for both.

Meta is actively exploring options to provide teenagers with a responsible ad experience in line with the evolving regulatory landscape so that they will be able to explore advertising in a safe environment. Users over 18 will have the option of becoming subscribers for an ad-free experience, and Meta is actively exploring options to support teenagers in this area.
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WhatsApp
Messenger Mobile App Mobile Application Hacking Mobile Security Pavel Durov Personal Data Secure Messenger Telegram WhatsApp

Durov Suspected WhatsApp of Intentionally Introducing Vulnerabilities

 

Russian entrepreneur and founder of the Telegram messenger Pavel Durov while criticizing the WhatsApp service said that the messenger, owned by Meta, was hardly ever secure, in his Telegram channel.

Durov also suspects that the service may intentionally introduce vulnerabilities. "Since the creation of WhatsApp, there has hardly been a moment when it was secure: every few months, researchers discover a new security problem in the application," he added. 

Durov noted that every few months researchers find a new security issue in the application. He recalled that he had already spoken out about the danger of the service in 2020. Since then, as the creator of Telegram considered, the situation with WhatsApp has not changed. 

As an illustration of his words, he cited a study by the American information technology company Boldend, which revealed a vulnerability in WhatsApp. The gap in the messenger has existed for several years and allows attackers to gain access to the correspondence of their victims unnoticed. 

In addition, the creator of Telegram commented on a Forbes report, which claims that Facebook investor Peter Thiel secretly funded a startup with the ability to hack WhatsApp. "WhatsApp users' messages have been available for attacks by potential hackers for years," Durov said about the report. 

"It would be hard to believe that WhatsApp technicians are so often incompetent. Telegram, a much more technically sophisticated application, has never had such serious security problems," Durov concluded. 

In December, Durov said that his Telegram remains protected from the influence of third parties. He cited the example of the FBI report, which claimed that the bureau has access to Viber, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Line, but Telegram, Threema, Signal, and Wickr do not transmit correspondence to third parties. At the same time, it was noted that Telegram can, at the request of law enforcement officers, issue the IP address and phone number of the user. 

Earlier, Pavel Durov's team advised the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine on cryptocurrencies. The Minister said that he actively uses the Telegram messenger for fast communications.
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Scammers
Cyber Crime Facebook Finland Fraud Messenger Meta phishing Scam Scammers

Finland Alerted About Facebook Accounts Compromised via Messenger Phishing

 

The National Cyber Security Centre of Finland (NCSC-FI) has issued a warning about an ongoing phishing attack aimed at compromising Facebook accounts by masquerading victims' friends in Facebook Messenger conversations. 

According to the NCSC-FI, this ongoing scam targets all Facebook users who got messages from online acquaintances seeking their contact information and a confirmation number given through SMS. If users provide the requested information, the attackers will gain control of their accounts by altering the password and email address linked with them. 

Once taken over, the Facebook accounts will use similar schemes to target more potential victims from their friend list. 

“In the attempts, a hacked account is used to send messages with the aim of obtaining the recipients' telephone numbers and two-factor authentication codes to hijack their Facebook accounts," the cybersecurity agency described. 

The scammers will undertake the following techniques to successfully compromise the victim' Facebook accounts: 
• They start by sending a message through Facebook Messenger from the previously compromised friend's account. 
• They request the target's phone number, claiming to be able to assist with the registration for an online contest with cash awards worth thousands of euros. 
• The next step is to request a code that was supposedly given via SMS by the contest organizers to verify the entry. 
• If the fraudsters obtain the SMS confirmation code, they will combine it with the phone number to gain access to and hijack the victim's Facebook account. 

The NCSC-FI advised, "The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to be wary of Facebook messages from all senders, including people you know. If the message sender is a friend, you can contact him, for example, by phone and ask if he is aware of this message. This information should not be disclosed to strangers." 

Meta (previously Facebook) recently has filed a federal lawsuit in a California court to stop further phishing assaults that are currently targeting Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp users. 

Around 40,000 phishing sites impersonating the four platforms' login pages were used by the threat actors behind these phishing attacks. These lawsuits are part of a lengthy series of lawsuits filed by Facebook against attackers who target its users and exploit its platform for nefarious purposes.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Android Facebook Messenger Video Chat Room Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Facebook Messenger Rooms Exploit Bypasses Android Screen Lock Protection

 

As a result of a security flaw in Facebook's Messenger Rooms video chat function, attackers are able to gain access to a victim's private Facebook photographs and videos, as well as submit posts, from their locked Android screen. Messenger Rooms, Facebook's newest video conferencing service, allows up to 50 individuals to video chat at the same time. You can converse for as long as you want, and you don't need a Facebook account to join a room. 

Rooms calls, like Zoom calls, are not secured end-to-end. Unless you change your preferences, the room will be open to anybody you're friends with on Facebook when you create it; they'll not only be able to join, but they'll also see it at the top of their News Feed. According to a proof-of-concept video supplied to Facebook with the vulnerability report, a user's Facebook account may be hacked by inviting them to a Messenger Room, then calling and answering the call from the target device before clicking on the chat function. 

Despite the fact that physical access to a victim's device is required, the assault could be carried out without the victim's smartphone or tablet being unlocked, earning Nepalese security researcher Samip Aryal a $3,000 bug bounty. 

Aryal's newest discovery was inspired by a similar Facebook Messenger flaw he discovered in October 2020, in which users' private, saved videos and watching history might be exposed during a Messenger call via the Watch Together function. The fault, which could be exploited by an attacker with physical access to a locked Android smartphone, was patched along with other comparable flaws by requiring users to unlock their phones before utilizing the impacted features. 

The researcher, who was logged into a Facebook account through a desktop PC, hosted a Messenger Room and invited an account that was active on an Android device to join. After entering the room with the 'malicious' account, he called the victim's device from the 'invited users' section, and the target, screen-locked smartphone began ringing within seconds. “I then picked up the call and tried all previously known sensitive features like ‘watch together’, ‘add people’, etc. but all of them needed to first unlock the phone before using them,” said Aryal. 

The discovery came when the researcher saw a request in the top right-hand corner of the call screen to ‘chat' with other participants. “I found that I could access all private photos/videos on that device without even unlocking the phone, as well as submit posts by clicking on the ‘edit’ option for any media”, he said.
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Zoom
Coronavirus Facebook Group Video Call Houseparty Mark Zuckerberg Messenger Technology Video Chat Room WhatsApp Zoom

Facebook's Messenger''s Latest Update Supports 50 Participants In a Video Chat Room!


During these ungodly hours of the pandemic with everyone stuck at home and yearning for some one-on-one time with friends and family stuck elsewhere, Facebook has come through like a Knight in shining armor.

It has booted up Messenger and WhatsApp with fresh and much-needed video-calling features in light of the obvious hike in the “need” for video-calls via social media.

In the areas that are affected to the greatest degrees by Coronavirus, researchers have seen an acute escalation in the usage of Messenger and its video calling feature, as much as double the earlier rate.

With the latest WhatsApp update increasing the number of participants in its video/audio calls, Messenger has made available an update that could let users add up to 50 people in the Messenger Rooms.

Turns out that these fresh features were always on the list of updates but they were rolled out to the users a little earlier than planned because of the pandemic and lock-downs.

This update is scheduled to start reaching people soon and would eventually reach all the users but it is bound to take time.

Per sources, Facebook had been working towards preventing ‘unrequired’ and ‘unneeded’ guests from popping in the chats, as well.

There is no dearth of applications willing to help users get through these tough times by connecting virtually with their loved ones. Zoom, another app that has seen crazy growth in the number of its active users to an astonishing 300 Million.

Houseparty is another one that hit the download charts hard when the news of the lock-down first surfaced everywhere in March.

Much like in the formerly mentioned app, until the Messenger Room is ‘open’, guests can drop in and out per their wishes in the group video chats.


With a very thoughtful idea, Facebook had reportedly wanted to create a realistic atmosphere for the video chat users where people could “bump into each other”.

In fact, rumor has it that Facebook is planning to add the group video chat room feature to WhatsApp and Instagram as well but there is no evidence as to when.

The chat rooms that are open to the public shall be listed at the top of the feed. The person creating the chat room would have control over the privacy of the room, about sending the invitations to people who aren’t on Facebook, who gets added and blocking unwanted participants. Participants could also change their backgrounds in real time, mention sources.

Per reports, the feature was first tested in Argentina and Poland where Messenger is supposed to be used the most. The results showed that up to 20 participants could be added at once, but the number is would increase to 50 according to Facebook.

Having uninvited participants show up in their chat rooms has only caused inconvenience to the users especially in the case of Zoom. Facebook has definitely learned from that.

The chats wouldn’t be encrypted end-to-end at least at the beginning of the launching but it’s surely on the to-do list. Monitoring and listening in on the video calls, says Facebook, is absolutely out of question.

The tech giant has also promised that it will keep working towards making Facebook better in every way possible by collecting data from the users about the overall experience, mention sources.

Premium features are being made available for free by the Microsoft teams for some of their apps owing to the Coronavirus outbreak, per sources.

Per reports, usually, the most whopping product launches of Facebook are done via the blog post by Mark Zuckerberg which in this case was used to announce the Messenger Room’s latest update.

To know about the latest feature update of WhatsApp check out the following link:
WhatsApp's Latest Feature Lets You Add More People To Video Calls!
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