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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Technology
Anthony Cuthbertson

WhatsApp security flaw exposes 3.5 billion people’s phone numbers

WhatsApp Marijus Briedis Meta the University of Vienna
The WhatsApp logo pictured in front of a laptop screen in Guildford, UK, on 17 April, 2025 - (AFP via Getty Images)

Security researchers have discovered a critical vulnerability with WhatsApp that exposes the phone numbers of more than 3 billion users worldwide.

The privacy flaw could be used by cyber criminals to gather profile information and infer the identities of users of the world’s most popular messaging app, which could then be used to carry out highly-targeted attacks.

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