WhatsApp Chats Aren't Getting Deleted Completely
Deleted WhatsApp chat messages may be easy to recover, according to a security researcher.
Jonathan Zdziarski said in a blog post that a flaw in the messaging app could leave forensic traces of chat messages after they have been deleted, cleared or archived.
“The latest version of the app tested leaves forensic trace of all of your chats, even after you've deleted, cleared, or archived them… even if you ‘Clear All Chats',” said Jonathan Zdziarski. “In fact, the only way to get rid of them appears to be to delete the app entirely.”
Privacy International technologist Dr. Richard Tynan, told SCMagazineUK.com that the potential for WhatsApp to leak the contents of deleted conversations is “extremely worrying”.
Jacob Ginsberg, senior director at Echoworx told SC that the moves WhatsApp has made with regard to encryption are “fantastic, but as this shows, unless encryption is built into the DNA of a messaging platform, there will be gaps – even as there are in iMessage”.
