WhatsApp has released version 25.2.3 for iOS devices to patch a significant privacy vulnerability that affected its “View Once” feature. The bug allowed users to access photos and videos that were meant to disappear after a single viewing.

The security flaw, which only impacted iPhone users, allowed anyone to view supposedly ephemeral content by navigating to Settings ➝ Storage and Data ➝ Manage Storage and sorting media by “Newest.” This completely bypassed the privacy protection that View Once was designed to provide.

Security researcher Ramshath first documented the vulnerability in a Medium post, prompting WhatsApp to acknowledge the issue and develop a fix. This isn’t the first time View Once has faced security challenges – a similar bug was discovered and patched on WhatsApp Web last December.

The latest update also introduces several new features, including the ability to make calls without saving phone numbers first and enhanced group calling capabilities.

Given the privacy implications, WhatsApp users on iOS should update their app immediately through the App Store to ensure their View Once media remains ephemeral as intended. [Direct Link]

This article, “WhatsApp Critical Privacy Bug Fixed in Latest iOS Update” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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