U.S. House of Representatives bans WhatsApp from staff devices


The U.S. House of Representatives’ top official has banned WhatsApp from government-issued devices used by its staff, saying the app poses potential security risks, Reuters reported, citing a memo sent to House staff.

“The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use,” Reuters reported the memo as saying. The memo instead recommends staff use apps like Signal, iMessage, FaceTime, and Microsoft Teams, the report said.

Read more…
Source: TechCrunch News


Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.


Related:

  • New Drupalgeddon Attacks Enlist Shellbot to Open Backdoors

    October 11, 2018

    Drupalgeddon 2.0 vulnerability is being exploited again by attackers using a time-honored technique of Shellbot, or PerlBot. Researchers are warning of a new wave of cyberattacks targeting unpatched Drupal websites that are vulnerable to Drupalgeddon 2.0. What’s unique about this latest series of attacks is that adversaries are using PowerBot malware, an IRC-controlled bot also called ...

  • Innovative Phishing Tactic Makes Inroads Using Azure Blob

    October 10, 2018

    A brand-new approach to harvesting credentials hinges on users’ lack of cloud savvy. A fresh tactic for phishing Office 365 users employs credential-harvesting forms hosted on Azure Blob storage – signed with legitimate Microsoft SSL certificates to lend an air of legitimacy. Azure Blob Storage is a cloud storage solution for hosting unstructured data such as images, ...

  • Over nine million cameras and DVRs open to APTs, botnet herders, and voyeurs

    October 9, 2018

    Millions of security cameras, DVRs, and NVRs contain vulnerabilities that can allow a remote attacker to take over devices with little effort, security researchers have revealed today. All vulnerable devices have been manufactured by Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology Co., Ltd.(Xiongmai hereinafter), a Chinese company based in the city of Hangzhou. But end users won’t be able to tell that ...

  • PoC Attack Escalates MikroTik Router Bug to ‘As Bad As It Gets’

    October 7, 2018

    A new hacking technique used against vulnerable MikroTik routers gives attackers the ability to execute remote code on affected devices. The technique is yet another security blow against the MikroTik router family. Previous hacks have left the routers open to device failures, cyptojacking and network eavesdropping. The hacking technique, found by Tenable Research and outlined on ...

  • Fallout Exploit Kit Now Installing the Kraken Cryptor Ransomware

    October 4, 2018

    The Fallout Exploit has been distributing the GandCrab Ransomware for the past few weeks, but has now switched its payload to the Kraken Cryptor Ransomware. Kraken Cryptor is a Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) that is actively being distributed by affiliates. As this is an affiliate system, we are seeing different bad actors distributing the ransomware using a variety ...

  • Turla APT Changes Shape with New Code and Targets

    October 4, 2018

    The Turla APT group’s extensive activities have diversified this year, representing a mix of old code, new code and fresh targets. Perhaps most interesting, this sophisticated group is branching into using scripts and open-source code in its malware development – a marked departure for an APT best-known for deploying a complex rootkit called Snake, traditionally focused on ...