Hacking WhatsApp Worth Millions Due to Improved Security
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Zero-day exploits for hacking WhatsApp are now worth millions of dollars due to improved security making hacking phones expensive.
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A Russian company offered $20 million for zero-days to hack iOS and Android devices, likely due to limited researchers willing to work with Russia and Russian buyers paying a premium.
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As of 2021, a WhatsApp zero-day for Android could cost between $1.7 - $8 million according to leaked documents.
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WhatsApp has been a popular target for government hackers using zero-days, like in 2019 when NSO Group customers exploited a zero-day.
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The value in targeting WhatsApp is that government hackers may only need access to WhatsApp chats, not the whole device.
