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History of WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary, cross-platform instantmessaging subscription service for smartphones. In addition to text

messaging, users can send each other images, video, and audio mediamessages. The client software is available for Google Android, BlacBerry !",Apple i!", selected #oia "eries $%, "ymbian, selected #oia Asha platform,&icrosoft 'indows (hone and BlacBerry )%. 'hatsApp Inc. was founded in*%%+ by Americans Brian Acton and an oum also the /0!1, both formeremployees of 2ahoo3, and is based in &ountain 4iew, /alifornia.

/ompeting with a number of Asian-based messaging services lie 5I#0,aaoTal, 'e/hat1, 'hatsApp handled ten billion messages per day in August*%)*, growing from two billion in April *%)*, and one billion the previous!ctober. !n une )6, *%)6, 'hatsApp announced on Twitter that they had

reached their new daily record by processing *7 billion messages. According tothe Financial Times, 'hatsApp 8has done to "&" on mobile phones what"ype did to international calling on landlines.8

As of #ovember )%, *%)6, 'hatsApp had over )+% million monthly activeusers, $%% million photos are shared each day, and the messaging systemhandles more than )% billion messages each day. In a 9ecember *%)6 blogpost, 'hatsApp claimed that $%% million active users use the service eachmonth.

!n :ebruary )+, *%)$, :aceboo announced it is ac;uiring 'hatsApp for

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all i(hones running i!" $.6 and later. However, some 9ual "I& devices maynot be compatible with 'hatsApp, though there are some worarounds forthis.

&ultimedia messages are sent by uploading the image, audio or video tobe sent to an HTT( server and then sending a lin to the content along with its

Base>$ encoded thumbnail if applicable1.

Security

In &ay *%)), a security hole was reported which left 'hatsApp useraccounts open for session hiacing and pacet analysis. 'hatsAppcommunications were not encrypted, and data was sent and received inplaintext, meaning messages were easily to be read if pacet traces areavailable. In "eptember *%)), 'hatsApp released a new version of the

&essenger application for i(hones, closing critical security holes that allowedforged messages to be sent and messages from any 'hatsApp user to beread.

!n anuary >, *%)*, an unnown hacer published a website'hatsApp"tatus.net1 that made it possible to change the status of anarbitrary 'hatsApp user, as long as the phone number was nown. To mae itwor, it only re;uired a restart of the app. According to the hacer, it is onlyone of the many security problems in 'hatsApp. !n anuary +, 'hatsAppreported that it had resolved the problem, although the only measure actuallytaen was to bloc the websites I( address. As a reaction, a 'indows tool was

made available for download providing the same functionality. This problemhas since been resolved in the form of an I( address chec on currently loggedin session.

!n anuary )6, *%)*, 'hatsApp was pulled from the i!" App "tore, andthe reason was not disclosed. The app was added bac to the App "tore fourdays later.

In &ay *%)*, security researchers noticed that new updates of 'hatsAppno longer sent messages as plaintext, the cryptographic method implementedwas subse;uently described as 8broen8. As of August ), *%)*, the 'hatsAppsupport staff claim messages are encrypted in the 8latest version8 of the'hatsApp software for i!" and Android not including BlacBerry, 'indows(hone, and "ymbian1, without specifying the implemented cryptographicmethod.

German Tech site The H demonstrated how to use 'hatsA(I to hiacany 'hatsApp account on "eptember )$, *%)*. "hortly after a legal threat to'hatsA(Is developers was alleged, characteri@ed by The H as 8an apparentreaction8 to security reports, and 'hatsA(Is source code was taen down forsome days. The 'hatsA(I team has since returned to active development.

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Privacy

A maor privacy and security problem has been the subect of a oint/anadian-9utch government investigation. The primary concern was that'hatsApp re;uired users to upload their entire mobile phones address boo to

'hatsApp servers so that 'hatsApp could discover who, among the usersexisting contacts, is available via 'hatsApp. 'hile this is a fast and convenientway to ;uicly find and connect the user with contacts who are also using'hatsApp, it means that their address boo was then mirrored on the'hatsApp servers, including contact information for contacts who are not using'hatsApp. This information was stored in hashed, though not salted form andwithout 8additional8 identifying information such as a name, although thestored identifying information is sufficient to identify every contact.

'hatsApp uses a timestamp feature, which gives the ability to view thelast time a user was logged-on or 85ast seen81, unless expressly bloced by

said user. This feature is considered to be a privacy problem. 'hile i(honeusers can choose to disable this feature, Android users cannot.

'hatsApp allows you to view the profile picture and current 8"tatus8 ofevery user, as long as that user is enlisted in /ontacts.

!n &arch 6), *%)6, the telecommunications authority in "audi Arabia,the /ommunications and Information Technology /ommission/IT/1, issued astatement regarding possible measures against 'hatsApp, among otherapplications, unless the service providers too serious steps in order to complywith monitoring and privacy regulations.

!ne of the drawbac of 'hatsApp is that the user does not need to senda friend re;uest to send messages to another user. However, users can blocnumbers on 'hatsApp.

Open WhatsApp Project

The !pen 'hatsApp (roect is an open-source re-implementation of the'hatsApp client software for mobile phones done by an independent group.Initially targeted at the #oia #+ which was officially not supported by'hatsApp1, it was later ported to other platforms, including BlacBerry )%. It

uses the 'hatsApp service behind-the-scenes, and is thus not a competitor to'hatsApp, being ust a different front-end, and is also subect to the sameprivacy and security concerns as 'hatsApp.

Acquisition!n :ebruary )+, *%)$, :aceboo announced it would be ac;uiring

'hatsApp for