New Delhi: Amid the new Privacy update controversy, reports are breaking out that WhatsApp is indexing private phone numbers on public search.
With all this backlash going against Whatsapp now there were rumors regarding the leak of phone numbers on Google Search and it is a potential risk of attracting spammers, cybercriminals who are looking to get access to chat accounts of the users.
Independent cybersecurity expert Rajshekhar Rajaharia reported on Twitter that info from WhatsApp Web was being leaked to Google search, the phone numbers are allegedly part of the URL being indexed by Google. He also claimed that practically any number can be revealed in the public domain as a result.
@Google Search Indexing Rules/Facts#InfoSec pic.twitter.com/6K7Z6IG5P1
— Rajshekhar Rajaharia (@rajaharia) January 15, 2021
This directly means that contacts and private chats between the WhatsApp users can now be found by a simple Google search. Cybercriminals can use the information to send spam or phishing emails to prey on unsuspecting victims to steal their financial details.
Now, it looks like the Facebook-owned company has to perform the task of adding ‘noindex’ tag to the WhatsApp Web version to plug the leak of chat conversation and contact details.
WhatsApp has already issued a clarification over reports of WhatsApp users alleging leak of their private messages with family and friends on search engines.
