That bug has finally been fixed WhatsApp which allowed the user to save and share with others the so-called ephemeral messages, designed to be viewed only once via the function “view Once”. This function was introduced in 2021 in order to allow users of the platform to send messages, photos and videos that vanish after the first viewing. The bug, discovered this summer, instead allowed ephemeral messages to be saved, but only for the desktop app.
It was a Zengo researcher who identified the vulnerability last August, reporting that on the web and desktop app i ephemeral messages could be saved, which undermined the privacy that the type of message should have guaranteed. The “view Once” feature was supposed to be available only for the Android and iOS app. The messages – whether photos, videos or voice messages – should have disappeared from WhatsApp chats immediately after being opened by the recipient, but this did not happen.
According to what we know, WhatsApp attempted to solve the problem with a fix incomplete, released mid-September. A second server-side fix is then followed to permanently resolve the bugs. The resolution was confirmed by many users of the instant messaging platform. Many have assured that when an ephemeral message arrives, in the web and desktop versions only a message appears inviting you to consult your smartphone, where you can see the content. Apparently, however, the fix would not work with modified WhatsApp mobile apps.
However, a problem would remain. According to industry experts, this solution found by WhatsApp would lead to an increase in metadata not encrypted, and this can also be seen as a possible risk to user privacy.
“We are constantly building layers of privacy protection, including releasing key updates to the ‘view once’ feature on the web”said company spokesperson Zade Alsawah, as reported by the online portal tomshw.it. Alsawah invited users to always keep the app updated.