5 Smart TV Lies You Have Fallen For

 By Dan Price  

Smart televisions first started hitting the shelves back in the late 2000s. They arrived with great fanfare, promising a revolution in the way we experienced visual entertainment.

Manufacturers gave them internet connectivity, app stores, and games. Services like Netflix and Hulu proclaimed the death of the HDMI cable. Cord-cutters rubbed their hands at the prospect of ditching their cable service. The future looked bright.

But the honeymoon period quickly came to an end. Consumers starting asking whether smart TVs were a worthwhile investment. Lies and myths started spreading. Today, I’m going to debunk some of those myths. Hopefully, by the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll fall in love with your smart TV all over again.5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy a Smart TV in 2016 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy a Smart TV in 2016It's undeniable that smart TVs are now obsolete, and at this time, the choice to buy a smart TV would not be a smart thing to do. Here's why.READ MORE

1. “Your TV is Spying on You”

The Samsung TV “listening-gate” has arguably done more to damage the reputation of smart televisions than any other incident. For readers who don’t know what I’m referring to, in February 2015, Samsung was forced to issue a warning to TV owners about discussing personal information in front of their sets.

Samsung’s privacy policy for internet-connected televisions stated the following:

Samsung can capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the features.

Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

I’m not going to defend Samsung, but it’s important to consider the context.

In the two years since the incident, we’ve all become far more accustomed to having “listening” devices in our homes. Gadgets like the Amazon Echo and Google Home are only triggered by keywords, which means they need to be listening to private background chatter to hear when these keywords are uttered.5 Reasons to Avoid Smart Assistants If You Value Your Privacy 5 Reasons to Avoid Smart Assistants If You Value Your PrivacySo, you've bought a new speaker-based smart assistant and it's proudly sitting in the center of your coffee table. But what security risks and privacyproblems are you now exposing yourself to?READ MORE

Admittedly, not everyone has the same willingness to engage with these devices. But to lambaste Samsung while turning a blind eye to the countless other privacy-eroding listening devices is both unfair and hypocritical.

2. “Your TV Is a Hacker’s Dream”

In early 2016, security firm Avast illustrated how a Vizio Smart TV could be remotely hacked and rooted, giving cyber-criminals access to the underlying Linux operating system. They even published details about what a man-in-the-middle attacker could learn about a person from the TV’s network traffic.Smart TV Hack, Popcorn Time VPN, Turing Test Chatbot, CIA Tweets [Tech News Digest] Smart TV Hack, Popcorn Time VPN, Turing Test Chatbot, CIA Tweets [Tech News Digest]Smart TV flaws, a Popcorn Time VPN, the chatbot that beat Alan Turing, the CIA joins Twitter, the first Vine from space, a Street View of the World Cup, and Microsoft's vision of the present...READ MORE

Similarly, there have been proof-of-concept demonstrations that used a USB device to exploit a malicious SSID value. Once activated, hackers could theoretically access and control any device on the network, including smart TVs.

Stories like these make consumers worried. “Privacy” has been an internet buzzword for the last couple of years, and users love a reason to give manufacturers a hard time.

But are you automatically vulnerable if you have a smart TV in your house? Well, it’s true that you can’t install an antivirus suite on your TV in the same way that you can on your computer. But your TV is far from the only culprit. What about your internet-connected home security system? Your smart fridge? Smart lighting? Even smart garage door opener? Are these really safe?Nest vs. Kuna: Outdoor Security Camera Showdown Nest vs. Kuna: Outdoor Security Camera ShowdownTwo of the newest outside cameras are the Nest Cam Outdoor and Kuna Toucan. In this article, you’ll learn more about these cameras and see how they compare.READ MORE

In a word, no. The responsibility falls on you, the consumer who buys and enjoys smart gadgets, to take steps to protect yourself. The solution is to buy a newer router that’s more secure than your ISP’s freebie. They have an impressive array of security features, including built-in antivirus, traffic quarantining, and port monitoring.

Don’t let security concerns dissuade you from appreciating your smart TV. Protect yourself properly and relish all its benefits.

3. “Smart TVs Don’t Offer Anything New”

Critics argue that smart TVs don’t bring anything new to your entertainment experience. They say smart TV functions are already covered by other devices in your home. Want Netflix? Log onto your Roku. Want to browse the web on a big screen? Use an HDMI cable. Want to play music? Chromecast has you covered.

While that might all be true — yes, you can use a multitude of other devices and services — there is a counter-argument to be made here: why use a bunch of different devices when a single smart TV can do it all?

Image Credit: csp via Shutterstock.com

Why would you want more gadgets than necessary? It means more cables, more apps to manage, a higher chance of things going awry, and more devices poking out of every corner in your home. It’s more prudent to streamline your experience.

Tech should be both easy and beautiful. And unless you’re a wizard at concealing cables and hiding ugly devices, you won’t be able to fulfill those ideals. Let your smart TV take some of the strain.Smart Home Feng Shui: How to Make Automation Stylish Smart Home Feng Shui: How to Make Automation StylishCurrent interior design trends are all about keeping things minimal. Less is more. Unfortunately, tech gadgets can destroy your perfectly crafted plans. Here are seven tips for making your home automation look stylish.READ MORE

4. “Smart TVs Are Too Expensive”

Importantly for a lot of people, more gadgets also means more money. Let’s do some sums:

• Roku 4: $130
• Chromecast Audio: $35
• HDMI Cable: Up to $50 for a reliable, high-quality product
• Apple TV: $200
• Plex Lifetime Subscription: $120

• TOTAL: $530

For comparison, only five of the top 25 bestselling smart TVs at Best Buy cost more than $530. Rather than buying more and more cheap(ish) peripheral devices and services, start putting your money into a new TV fund. In terms of money, you pretty much come out as even.

5. “Smart TVs Don’t Have Enough Features”

In practice, there are very few day-to-day entertainment tasks that today’s smart TVs cannot carry out with aplomb. All manufacturers offer support for:

• Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Spotify, and every other mainstream entertainment app
• Web browsers
• Facebook and other social media platforms
• “Catch-up” apps from the major TV networks
• Remote UPnP media library support
• Peripheral gadgets like keyboards and mice

In short, they offer every typical service you could reasonably expect to use on a given day.

Ultimately, smart TVs have evolved immeasurably since they first became available. Unfortunately, many users might not realize that televisions are not something you upgrade frequently. If your TV is five or more years old, you’d be amazed at the performance levels of a new set.

After all, consider how much smartphones and laptops have improved over the same period. The same is true for televisions.

What Lies and Myths Have You Fallen For?

Of course, I could continue. But I hope these five points have made you think about giving your existing smart TV a new lease of life.

And if you’re in the market for a new television, embrace the technology. Do your research and find out which set matches your requirements. With some time and investigation, you’ll be able to discover a product that’ll become a valuable addition to your home entertainment setup.

Have you been caught up in the web of lies and rumors about smart televisions? Were you aware of how much they’ve progressed in since their launch? Or are you still unconvinced? Are you adamant they’re a mere marketing fad?

Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

Image Credit: TorGB via Shutterstock.com  Source: www.makeuseof.com

Cybercriminals Possess CIA Hacking Tools: What This Means for You

By   Kannon Yamada  

So you didn’t care about Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Samsung eavesdropping on you. But how do you feel about cyber criminals listening in on your bedroom conversations? WikiLeaks’s Vault 7file suggests you may soon play host to unexpected visitors.

The Central Intelligence Agency’s most dangerous malware — capable of hacking nearly all wireless consumer electronics — could now sit in the hands of thieves and terrorists. So what does that mean for you?

What’s Vault 7?

Vault 7 is a leaked trove of documents pertaining to the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) cyber warfare capabilities. Much of the software described in Vault 7 reveals how the CIA controls and surveils using smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and other internet-connected devices. On March 7th, WikiLeaks published a tiny fraction of the documents.

What should terrify everyone: According to WikiLeaks, the CIA lost control of these tools. And now criminals (probably) possess them. However, many of the published exploits (there are many as-of-yet unpublished exploits) are almost five years old and have since been patched.

How Criminals Obtain U.S. Hacking Tools

Not everyone who works for an intelligence agency is a card-carrying member. The CIA regularly outsources employment to federal contractors in the private sector. Many of these private intelligence firms, such as HBGary, lack the CIA’s security.

Edward Snowden Was a Federal Contractor

For example, Booz Allen Hamilton employed NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who famously leaked documents pertaining to the NSA’s illegal surveillance programs. Additionally, Booz Allen Hamilton suffered a 2011 hack.

Image Credit: 360b via Shutterstock

In its official statement, WikiLeaks asserted (emphasis mine):

The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.

One part of the quote stands out: the tools were circulated in an “unauthorized manner”. The implication should concern everyone in the world. The CIA probably lost control of a $100 billion portfolio of hacking tools.

But this isn’t the first time that private actors acquired dangerous, government-developed software.

The Stuxnet Worm

For example, the Stuxnet worm, another weaponized malware, fell into the hands of cyber criminals soon after its 2010 discovery. Since then, Stuxnet occasionally pops up as malware. Part of its ubiquity relates to its codebase. According to Sean McGurk, a cyber security researcher, the source code for Stuxnet is available for download.Microsoft Patches Freak & Stuxnet, Facebook Stops You Feeling Fat [Tech News Digest] Microsoft Patches Freak & Stuxnet, Facebook Stops You Feeling Fat [Tech News Digest]Microsoft patches problems, Facebook is no longer Feeling Fat, Uber wants women, iPhone Google Calendar, PlayStation lands in China, and playing Snake in a water fountain.READ MORE

You can download the actual source code of Stuxnet now and you can repurpose it and repackage it and then, you know, point it back towards wherever it came from.

That means pretty much any coder can build their own Stuxnet-based malware kit. The CIA’s lack of control over its cyber arsenal ensures that exploits will continue flowing into the hands of for-profit criminals, terrorists, and rogue states. No better example exists than the ShadowBrokers.

The Shadow Brokers

In 2016, the Shadow Brokers group infamously auctioned off a series of state-manufactured hacking tools. How they stole the tools is anyone’s guess, but where they acquired them is known: the NSA.

According to The Intercept, documents inside the Snowden leak connect the tools stolen by the Shadow Brokers with the hacking group known as Equation Group (EG). EG employed exploits that were later found in the state-sponsored Stuxnet worm — which highly suggests a connection between the NSA and EG. Combined with the leaked tools, it appears that the NSA and CIA are unable to control their own technologies.

But does that mean your privacy and security are compromised?

A History of Spying on Customers

Your privacy and security are already compromised.

Almost all modern smart products include microphones. Some devices require pressing a button to turn on the microphone or camera. Others listen continuously for the utterance of a keyword. For example, Samsung’s range of smart TVs constantly listen, record, and transmit — all without relying on sophisticated government surveillance.Samsung's Latest Smart TVs Are Straight Out Of George Orwell's 1984 Samsung's Latest Smart TVs Are Straight Out Of George Orwell's 1984A new feature in the latest Samsung smart TVs has put the Korean giant in a bit of hot water. It turns out they've been listening to everything you've been saying...READ MORE

Smart TVs Are Owned

Samsung’s privacy statement regarding their smart TVs is troubling. Although Samsung modified their privacy terms-of-service to avoid controversy, the original statement, captured by Twitter user xor, goes as follows:

Here’s the relevant quote from Samsung (emphasis mine):

Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

In short, smart televisions hear everything you say. And Samsung shares that data with third parties. Those third parties, however, are assumed to be businesses with only a commercial interest in your conversations. And you can always turn the thing off.

Unfortunately, the “Weeping Angel” hack developed by the CIA makes it so the TV can’t turn off. Weeping Angel targets Samsung smart TVs. The Vault 7 documentation refers to this as Fake-Off mode. From WikiLeaks:

…Weeping Angel places the target TV in a “Fake-Off” mode, so that the owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on. In “Fake-Off” mode the TV operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert CIA server.

Samsung isn’t alone. After all, Facebook, Google, and Amazon (our review of the Echo) also rely on using the microphones of devices — often without the knowing consent of users. For example, Facebook’s privacy statement claims that they do use the microphone, but only when the user uses “specific” features of the Facebook application.Amazon Echo Review and Giveaway Amazon Echo Review and GiveawayAmazon’s Echo offers a unique integration between voice recognition, personal assistant, home automation controls, and audio playback features for $179.99. Does the Echo break into new ground or can you do better elsewhere?READ MORE

How Technology Enables Illegal Surveillance

The biggest security flaw on modern smartphones is its software. By exploiting security vulnerabilities in a browser or operating system, an attacker can remotely access all features of a smart device — including its microphone. In fact, that’s how the CIA accesses most of its targets’ smartphones: right over a cellular or Wi-Fi network.

Of the 24 Android exploits developed by the CIA, its contractors, and cooperating foreign agencies, eight can be used to remotely control a smartphone. I assume that once under control, the malware operator would then use a combination of attacks, combining remote access, privilege escalation, and the installation of persistent malware (as opposed to malware that lives in RAM).

The techniques listed above normally rely on the user clicking a link in their email. Once the target navigates to an infected website, the attacker then can take control of the smartphone.

A False Hope: The Hacks Are Old

On a false note of hope: of the hacks revealed in Vault 7, most pertain to older devices. However, the files only include a fraction of the total hacks available to the CIA. More than likely, these hacks are mostly older, obsolete techniques, which the CIA no longer uses. However, that’s a false hope.

Many of the exploits apply broadly to systems-on-a-chip (what’s an SoC?) rather than to individual phones.Jargon Buster: The Guide to Understanding Mobile Processors Jargon Buster: The Guide to Understanding Mobile ProcessorsIn this guide, we'll cut through the jargon to explain what you need to know about smartphone processors.READ MORE

Image Credit: Chronos Exploit via WikiLeaks

For example, in the graphic above, the Chronos exploit (among others) can hack the Adreno chipset. The security flaw encompasses almost all smartphones based on Qualcomm processors. Again, keep in mind that less than 1 percent of Vault 7’s content has been released. There are likely many more devices vulnerable to penetration.

However, Julian Assange offered to help all major corporations patch the security holes revealed by Vault 7. With any luck, Assange might share the archive with the likes of Microsoft, Google, Samsung, and other companies.

What Vault 7 Means for You

The word isn’t in yet on who possesses access to the archive. We don’t even know whether or not the vulnerabilities still exist. However, we do know a few things.

Only 1 Percent of the Archive Has Been Published

While Google announced it fixed most of the security vulnerabilities used by the CIA, less than 1 percent of the Vault 7 files have been released. Because only older exploits were published, it’s likely that almost all devices are vulnerable.

The Exploits Are Targeted

The exploits are mostly targeted. That means that an actor (such as the CIA) must specifically target an individual in order to gain control of a smart device. Nothing in the Vault 7 files suggests that the government is sweeping up, en masse, conversations gleaned from smart devices.

Intelligence Agencies Hoard Vulnerabilities

Intelligence agencies hoard vulnerabilities and do not disclose such security breaches to corporations. Because of shoddy operations security, many of these exploits eventually make their way into the hands of cyber criminals, if they are not already there.

So Can You Do Anything?

The worst aspect of the Vault 7 revelations is that no software provides protection. In the past, privacy advocates (including Snowden) recommended using encrypted messaging platforms, such as Signal, in order to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.What Is A Man-In-The-Middle Attack? Security Jargon Explained What Is A Man-In-The-Middle Attack? Security Jargon ExplainedREAD MORE

However, Vault 7’s archives suggest that an attacker can log a phone’s keystrokes. Now it seems that no internet-connected device avoids illegal surveillance. Fortunately, it’s possible to modify a phone to prevent its use as a remote bug.

Edward Snowden explains how to physically disable the camera and microphone on board a modern smartphone:

Depending on the model of phone, Snowden’s method requires physically desoldering the microphone array (noise canceling devices use at least two microphones) and unplugging both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras. You then use an external microphone, instead of the integrated mics.

I’d note, though, that unplugging the cameras isn’t necessary. The privacy-minded can simply black out the cameras with tape.

Downloading the Archive

Those interested in learning more can download the entirety of the Vault 7 dump. WikiLeaks intends on releasing the archive in small chunks throughout 2017. I suspect that the subtitle of the Vault 7: Year Zero refers to the enormity of the archive’s size. They have enough content to release a new dump every year.

You can download the complete password protected torrent. The password for the first part of the archive is as follows:

Are YOU concerned about the CIA’s loss of control over their hacking tools? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: hasan eroglu via Shutterstock.com  Source: www.makeuseof.com

Avoid This Mistake When an Unknown Caller Asks “Can You Hear Me?”

By  Nancy Messieh  

Telemarketers and robocalls are annoying enough without having to worry about being scammed when you pick up your phone. One of the more recent scams to look out for is where the caller asks, “Can you hear me?”How to Stop Annoying Telemarketers & Robocalls From Calling You How to Stop Annoying Telemarketers & Robocalls From Calling YouAre you tired of being called by prerecorded messages and robots? Here's why that happens and what you can do to stop them.READ MORE

The scam, which is making the rounds in several U.S. states, is pretty simple: you answer your phone and the person on the other end asks if you can hear them. If you answer Yes, they will use that recording as evidence that you authorized a payment or agreed to sign up for a service.

The easiest way to avoid these scams is to simply not answer blocked or unknown numbers. But that’s not an option for all of us, so if you have to take those calls, just be sure not to respond to that question with a Yes.

There may be other variations on the question, but the goal of the scammer is always the same: to get you to say Yes. So if they ask any questions that require it, make sure to answer the question in another way. For example, if they ask “Can you hear me?” you can simply respond with “I can hear you.”

The scam has been reported in Virginia, Florida, and Pennsylvania, with police warning against the scam, but Snopes says that there is no indication that the scam has been successful. In any case, there’s no harm in being cautious and not answering the question.

The Federal Trade Commission offers some tips on what scammers could say:

• You’ve been specially selected (for this offer).
• You’ll get a free bonus if you buy our product.
• You’ve won one of five valuable prizes.
• You’ve won big money in a foreign lottery.
• This investment is low risk and provides a higher return than you can get anywhere else.
• You have to make up your mind right away.
• You trust me, right?
• You don’t need to check our company with anyone.
• We’ll just put the shipping and handling charges on your credit card.

If you’ve received a call like this, you should file a complaint with the FTC.

Have you received this kind of phone call? What tips do you have for avoiding telemarketing scams? Let us know in the comments.  Source: www.makeuseof.com

4 Security Threats WhatsApp Users Need To Know About

By   James Frew

Since the messaging platform WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014, its growth has been unstoppable. The app now boasts over a billion users each month who send over 30 billionmessages per day.

WhatsApp has strengthened their security over recent years by adding two-step verification, and automatic end-to-end encryption. Despite this, there are still some security threats you need to know about.

Web Malware

With over a billion users, it’s almost certain that malicious cybercriminals would look to exploit the popular messaging app. WhatsApp announced the launch of a web interface and desktop application in January 2015. Unsurprisingly, hackers were quick to pounce with fake WhatsApp websites and applications that stole data and distributed malware.WhatsApp Web: Everything You Need To Know WhatsApp Web: Everything You Need To KnowAlong with supporting all mobile platforms, WhatsApp has now launched a web-based client, so you can finally use WhatsApp on your PC and sync with your phone.READ MORE

Some attackers created malicious software downloads that would masquerade as WhatsApp Desktop applications. Once installed they could install and distribute malware or otherwise compromise your computer. Others turned to creating websites pretending to offer access to WhatsApp Web. They ask for your phone number in order to “connect you to the service” but in reality use it to bombard your WhatsApp with spam messages.

Although WhatsApp does offer a client for both Windows and Mac, the safest option is to go directly to the source at http://web.whatsapp.com.

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Unencrypted Backups

The messages you send via WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted meaning that only your device has the ability to decode them. This prevents your messages being intercepted during transmission, but says nothing of their safety while on your device. On both iOS and Android it is possible to create a backup of your messages to either iCloud or Google Drive. The backups that WhatsApp create contain the decrypted messages on your device.6 New WhatsApp Features You Should Know About 6 New WhatsApp Features You Should Know AboutWhen you're using an app day in and day out, it's easy to miss out on new features that get added. But what did you get in all those WhatsApp updates? Lots.READ MORE

The backup itself is not encrypted. If someone wanted access to your messages, they would only need the latest copy of your daily backup. It is also vulnerable as there is no ability to change your backup location, meaning that you are at the mercy of the cloud service to keep your data protected. iCloud in particular has suffered a poor reputation for security, especially after its role in the largest celebrity leak in history.

One of the supposed benefits of encryption is, for better or worse, being able to prevent government and law enforcement from being able to access your data. As the unencrypted backup is available on one of two US based cloud storage providers, all it would need is a warrant and they would have unfettered access to your messages. In many instances, this renders the end-to-end messaging encryption as redundant.

Facebook Data Sharing

When Facebook decided that it wanted to app WhatsApp to the “Facebook Family”, the EU approved the deal after Facebook made it very clear the two companies, and their data, would be kept separate. Of course, being the responsible company it is, Facebook complied. For about two years at least. Then on 25 August 2016 WhatsApp changed its Privacy Policy to allow sharing of data from WhatsApp to Facebook. According to their FAQs:

“We plan to share some information with Facebook and the Facebook family of companies…some of your account information with Facebook and the Facebook family of companies, like the phone number you verified when you registered with WhatsApp, as well as the last time you used our service.”

In a great use of weasel words, they also state that none of your information will be publicly visibleon Facebook. Instead, it will be hidden in Facebook’s deep, and inaccessible, profile of you. It is possible to turn this data sharing off in the settings. However, to the chagrin of almost all privacyadvocates, the data sharing was turned on by default, requiring every single one of WhatsApp’s over one billion users to manually head into the settings to turn it off if they weren’t comfortable.

After the change, there were expressions of concern from officials in Germany, the US, and the UK. There is now even a possible investigation into Facebook and WhatsApp’s practices by the European Commission. Since November 2016, Facebook has paused data collection from UK users after the Information Commissioner’s Office wrote to Facebook outlining the issues and asked Facebook to clarify to users how their data will be used.

Encryption Vulnerabilities

In January 2017, The Guardian published a story claiming that WhatsApp’s implementation of encryption protocol could be exploited. While your messages are end-to-end encrypted so that they can’t be read during transmission, they are decrypted locally on your phone. To verify the device receiving the message is the intended recipient, each user has a public security key. This key can be changed when reinstalling the app or moving to a new phone.

The Guardian’s report claimed that as WhatsApp had the ability to change security keys for offline users, they may be able to intercept and unencrypt messages. WhatsApp could then force you to resend your messages with the new security key, and allow themselves access to the messages. They claimed that this was a problem, or intentional feature, of WhatsApp’s implementation of Open Whisper Systems’ protocol.

However, Open Whisper Systems responded in a lengthy blog post, where they refuted the claims of an “encryption backdoor”. Instead, they noted that a man in the middle attack “is endemic to public key cryptography, not just WhatsApp”. They also dispute the over simplification of the issue made by The Guardian. They did not include the fact that there are two encryption keys, one public and one private on your device. This is done to prevent an attacker compromising the server and “[lying] about a user’s public key, and instead [advertising] a key which the attacker knows the corresponding key for”.What Is A Man-In-The-Middle Attack? Security Jargon Explained What Is A Man-In-The-Middle Attack? Security Jargon ExplainedREAD MORE

The consensus from the technical community is that The Guardian did very little verification of the details before publishing the story. However, it did highlight that even systems that are viewed as secure, like end-to-end encryption, are not entirely flawless.

One More Thing…

WhatsApp recently revamped their Status feature, morphing it from a line of simple text into a disappearing photo and video updates. This brought it in line with Instagram Stories and Snapchat. Despite their parent company’s seeming aversion to simplifying privacy controls, WhatsApp has made it quite easy to control who you share your Status with.

If you head into the settings you are now greeted with three privacy levels for your Status updates;

• My contacts
• My contacts except…
• Only share with…

Despite this simplicity, it isn’t immediately clear if your blocked contacts would be able to see your Status. WhatsApp seems to have done the sensible thing and blocked contacts are unable to view your Status. As with Instagram Stories any videos and photos added to your Status will disappear after 24 hours.

Time To Change?

If these reasons were enough to make your question your messaging app allegiance, then there are other secure alternatives available. WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption protocol was developed by Open Whisper Systems, who make their own secure messaging app Signal. Then there is the popular Telegram which combines the messaging capabilities of WhatsApp with the ephemeral nature of Snapchat.

Will you continue using WhatsApp? Have you ever been caught out by these security threats? Are there other alternatives available? Let us know in the comments below!

Originally written by Dann Albright on February 25th 2015

Source: www.makeuseof.com