Hackers are constantly targeting the instant messaging app WhatsApp. Recently, a case of data privacy and hacking came to light through an anonymous video call. Now another case has come to light, in which hackers are sending malware to MP4 video files and attacking the malware. Due to this attack, your smartphone can become a box and your personal information may be leaked. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has categorized this attack into a high severity, that is, users’ smartphones may be the most vulnerable to this attack.
Recently, more than 1,400 WhatsApp accounts were reported to be hacked by Israeli spyware manufacturer NSO Group. Because of this attack, many juicy users around the world, including high profile politicians, journalists, etc. WhatsApp’s parent company, Facebook, said that the hackers are sending MP4 files to users via an anonymous number. With the download of this file, the user’s phone is at risk of being hacked.
CERT has identified this malware (virus) as CVE-2019-11931. This virus can affect all operating systems iOS, Android and Windows. This virus can affect business apps in addition to regular apps. However, WhatsApp said that such an attack has been fixed with the help of the latest security patch. If you are also a WhatsApp user, then go to Google Play Store or App Store and update your app to the latest version.
How to turn off media auto-download
Apart from this, disable the auto-download option in the WhatsApp app. To disable auto-download, you have to go to the settings of the WhatsApp app. After opening the app to go to the settings, three dots will be given on the right and top side of the main screen, tap on them. After tapping, you will see the Settings option at the bottom. Tap on the Settings option and tap on Data and storage usage. After this, go to Media Auto-Download and uncheck all the options of both mobile and Wi-Fi. In this way, no file will be automatically downloaded to your phone.