What we think of this fortnight’s top tech news stories and rumours,
and how they affect you
Discussweb news atwww.facebook.com/webusermagazine 16 - 29 October 2019^9Need to KnowCredit:AlexRuhl/Shutterstock.compatch via an
update. That
said, it’s wise
to ensure you
have that
update
instal led by
checking
you’re using
the latest
version of
the app.
Pressthe
thre e-dot
menu button
in WhatsApp, choose
Settings, then tap Help,
‘App info’. If your version
numberis above 2.19.244,
you’re safe from this
particular hack. If not, you
should install the latest
version of WhatsAppfrom
the Apple or Google Play
stor e as soon as possible.location you’ve
visi ted from your
histor y, headto
Settings in Google
Maps, then ‘Your
datain Maps’, where
you can edit and
delete details of
where you’ve been.
You can also turn off
any location-based
tracking entirely and
set your activity to
automatically delete
after a certain ti me
frame.What dowethink?
It’s surprising that it’s taken
so long to introduce an
incognito mode to Maps.
Chrome has had this feature
for more than a decade,
after all, and Google admitsWhatsApp users warned about GIF flawGoogle Maps introduces incognito modeWhat dowethink?
Hacking via GIF is certainly
an intriguing technique,
but in some waysthat
makes it less likely to be
successful because, after
all, any attack that stands
out is going to get fixed
quickly. Indeed, it’s likely
that you’ve already
received the patch for this
particular hack and are
reading about it after the
fact. That’s welcome news,
and means WhatsApp
and Facebook are doing a
goodjob of keeping
securi ty tight.
To do your bit, make sure
that your apps are always
runningthe latest versions
with automatic updates, so
you get the latest patches
without having to make
any extra effort.that it’s popular.
Hopefully, Google is
starting to recognise how
highly we value our
privacy, and will find more
waysto let us keep our
web browsing to oursel ves.What happened?
Sendingsilly GIFs to
friends and family on
WhatsAppis one of the
joys of modern life but
hackers have found a way
to abuse the small looping
videos to attack the
messaging app.
An independent,
anonymous securi ty
researcher spotted the
flaw, saying that WhatsApp
users could be hacked via a
malici ous GIF. Dodgy code
is hiddenin the GIF file, so
users don’t even have to
open, watch or download
the image for the hack to
work. In theory, the hack
allows criminals to steal
photos, read messagesand
take other files from your
phone. The researcher
reported the bug toWhat happened?
As we predicted in la st
issu e’s ‘What’s the
Rumour’, Google has
added an incognito mode
to Maps, which prevents
the places you visi t and
search from being used
to ‘personalise’ the
mapping service.
It works in a similar way
to incognito modein the
Chrome browser – when
you use the modein
Google Maps, locations
you’ve been to won’t
be shown, nor will
recommendations for
restaurants and other
businesses. Ad ditionally,
information about what
you’re searchin g for won’t
be used when you switch
to the standard map mode.WhatsApp and it’s now been
patched.How will it affectyou?
WhatsApp said ina
statement that it didn’t
believe anyone had been
successfully hacked using
this technique because its
owner, Facebook, put out aHow will it affectyou?
The new mode, which is
being ro lled out to Android
this month and iOS
afterwards, means your data
won’t be used to personalise
ads, but it’s not entirely
privat e since Google itself
still sees what you search for
and your mobile provider
alwaysknows where your
phone is.
Still, as with incognito
mode in the Chrome browser,
this is a handy way to ensure
that a location you visi ted or
searched for doesn’ t show up
on your map– perhaps if
you’re looking for a
restaurant for a surprise
dinner or a shop for a gift, for
example, and don’t want a
partner to spot your efforts.
If you want to delete a