You are here

Security Flaw Left Facebook Messenger Open To Hackers

A Facebook Messenger security flaw that allowed hackers the opportunity to modify or delete any sent message, photo, file, or link and conduct other malware campaigns, was discovered by security researchers. International Business Times reports: Uncovered by cybersecurity firm Checkpoint, the flaw in Messenger impacted both the desktop and mobile application versions and, according to the security experts, could be launched with relative ease due to the attack requiring little coding knowledge. In a technical description of the flaw, Checkpoint reveals that each message in Facebook Messenger has its own unique ID number, and this is what hackers would exploit. With the help of a simple debug tool, an attacker is able to store the number and then target individual chats. “Once the attacker has found the message ID, he can alter the content of the message and send it to the Facebook servers. The content is changed without a push message to the users’ PC or mobile device,” the analysis states. There are a number of so-called attack vectors that are open to abuse and the outcomes could reportedly have a “severe impact” on users. Hackers could manipulate message histories as part of fraud schemes, tamper with chats to [...]