In the digital underworld, a economy dark flourishes, where users' most intimate secrets are sold and the Whatsapp it has become a gold mine for hackers.
A recent report reveals that companies are willing to spend up to US$20 million to acquire malicious programs capable of hacking the most popular messaging app in the world.
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But why is the price of these “zero-day hacks” reaching astronomical heights?
O TechCrunch released documents that show how the cost of malware (a type of malicious program) has increased considerably in recent years.
Recently, a Russian company reportedly offered around R$103 million for the ability to exploit unknown flaws in the Whatsapp, opening the way to access users' private messages.
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However, the exorbitant price is just the highest point of an escalation in values. Two years ago, the same type of “zero-day” criminal malware cost between $1.7 million and $8 million.
This demonstrates the dizzying increase in demand for such tools on the underground market.
Several aspects contributed to the increase in the cost of WhatsApp hacks. Firstly, the constant updates of the application, promoted by Goal, aim to strengthen the security of the service, making hacking more difficult.
Furthermore, operating systems like iOS have introduced more robust security features, such as blocking mode, which make hackers' jobs even more difficult.
Another influence is the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has impacted the hacking market. Many technology experts refuse to collaborate with the Russian government amid the conflict, demanding substantial payments to reconsider. This extra demand drives up prices, even for attackers operating outside of Russian territory.
Attacks targeting WhatsApp mainly focus on employees of government entities, such as intelligence agencies and regulatory bodies.
By spying on the application, attackers are able to access crucial information contained in the messages, without the need to compromise the device as a whole.
It is important to note that at least three of the flaws mentioned in the documents would have been fixed via WhatsApp between 2020 and 2021, but Meta has not yet commented on the underground market in growth.
In a world in which the privacy is an increasingly rare commodity, the price for violating it is reaching unprecedented levels.
While technology companies work to strengthen security, hackers continue to innovate, creating a dangerous game of cat and mouse in the digital underworld.