WhatsApp: How to find out if you are affected and what to do next

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[br][br][img src="http://cdn.shalltry.com/image/3e5bf8f0a1558c248e27bf6d738bea02b6fce0d2.jpg"][br][br]WhatsApp said on Tuesday that a major security breach had allowed hackers to install spyware on some users' phones by simply calling them through the app.[br][br]This malicious code could be installed whether or not the victim answered the call, and all record of the call disappeared from the phone after the spyware was installed.[br][br]The spyware is capable of trawling through calls, texts and other data, activating the phone’s camera and microphone and performing other malicious activities, according to reports.[br][br]But how do you know if you have been affected by the hack, and what should you do to protect yourself? Here's what you need to know.[br][br]Which phones are affected?[br][br]All smartphone with WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business installed are affected.[br][br]This includes Apples iPhones, Android phones, Windows Phones and Tizen devices, according to Facebook , which owns WhatsApp.[br][br]1.5 billion people use WhatsApp globally.[br][br]Am I affected?[br][br]The number of people affected by the hack is not yet known.[br][br]WhatsApp said it was still investigating the breach but believed only a "select number of users were targeted through this vulnerability by an advanced cyber actor."[br][br]A few targets, including a UK  based human rights lawyer and an Amnesty International researcher, have been identified.[br][br]The attack seems to have been primarily targeted at human rights campaigners.[br][br]If you haven't received any WhatsApp voice calls or dropped calls from unknown callers then you have probably not been targeted.[br][br]However, you should still take steps to protect yourself, and if you happen to work for a human rights organisation you should be extra vigilant.[br][br]What should I do to protect myself?[br][br]WhatsApp has fixed the vulnerability on its end, but your account wont be safe until you install the company's latest app update .[br][br]That's version 2.19.134 for Android, version 2.19.51 for iOS, version 2.18.348 for Windows Phone and version 2.18.15 for Tizen.[br][br]If your device doesn't install app updates automatically, you can do it manually by going into the app store, searching for WhatsApp, and hitting the "update" button.[br][br]While you are at it, it is worth making sure your operating system is up to date, as this contains a lot of built-in security features designed to protect you from hackers.[br][br]WhatsApp said its advice to all users to update came "out of an abundance of caution" and a recommendation by Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto that it notified about the vulnerability before the announcement.[br][br]Who is behind the attack?[br][br]According to the Financial Times, secretive Israeli cybersecurity and intelligence company NSO Group developed the spyware.[br][br]NSO did not comment on the specific attacks, but said it would investigate any "credible allegations of misuse" of its technology.[br][br]The company said it never picks or identifies targets of its technology, "which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies".[br][br]"NSO would not, or could not, use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation, including this individual (the UK lawyer)," it said.[br][br]A WhatsApp representative said the attack was sophisticated and had all the hallmarks of a "private company working with governments on surveillance."

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