Thoughts about my free iphone app - WhatsApp
#331
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Already updated.
I've not used WA for voice that much.
Viber is also a good choice if you need to call real numbers. Really dirt cheap calling rates. I bought $5 credit through the iOS App. Store over a year ago and I still have almost $4 left.
They also offer a Viber number, which could be based in any country. But it's not as good a deal, they want like $5 a month for it.
I've not used WA for voice that much.
Viber is also a good choice if you need to call real numbers. Really dirt cheap calling rates. I bought $5 credit through the iOS App. Store over a year ago and I still have almost $4 left.
They also offer a Viber number, which could be based in any country. But it's not as good a deal, they want like $5 a month for it.
At the present time, I have a Canadian and a US number at a virtual service that take voicemail and forward it to my email or can be call forwarded to any North American number with 500 minutes per month for $25. So the Viber $5 per month makes a lot of sense to me especially the SMS to app service. If I can port the number over then it will be a bonus.
#332
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If one also needs real numbers and real number functionality then OnOff is actually the best solution, it is huge in France and some other Francophone countries, but world in a totally different way and offers numbers in dozens of countries.
#334
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The vulnerability (CVE-2019-3568) has been around for at least months (possibly longer) and does not require the recipient to do anything other than receive (not necessarily answer) a voice call. The record of a missed call can be erased if the attack is successful.
From a security perspective, this kind of vulnerability is as serious as it gets. No interaction from the target and arbitrary code can be executed on the target device. And there is evidence it has been exploited for some time in the wild.
That’s one reason why my security-conscious and paranoid friends are not using WhatsApp. Was it deliberate or a mistake? A closed code base means it isn’t open for public review so no one can say.
I’m not saying I agree with them or their compromises. But it’s hard to argue today.
From a security perspective, this kind of vulnerability is as serious as it gets. No interaction from the target and arbitrary code can be executed on the target device. And there is evidence it has been exploited for some time in the wild.
That’s one reason why my security-conscious and paranoid friends are not using WhatsApp. Was it deliberate or a mistake? A closed code base means it isn’t open for public review so no one can say.
I’m not saying I agree with them or their compromises. But it’s hard to argue today.
Last edited by Calchas; May 14, 2019 at 12:26 pm
#336
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Really? Huge? I live in France and have never heard of it. I asked some younger people and they too hadn't heard of it. Whatsapp or iMessage is what most everyone here uses. That said, OnOff looks interesting and I may try it out. It seems it would be useful in very remote areas that only have 2G coverage. 4G is nearly everywhere here though so I'm not sure of a compelling case for France. Africa is another story!
#337
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Dunno, I know a lot of French people who use it, seems like it's been extremely popular in the App stores in France and have read a good amount in the French Press about it. It is a paid app and is NOT a free app as you are in effect buying multiple real numbers with real functions whether in your actual country or others, but also has the same features as Whatsapp of you are "in network" and is a huge cost save for those who regularly maintain several GSM numbers.
#338
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I just use iMessage and SMS. Nobody in the US has ever asked me if I have WhatsApp. My friends who live overseas all have iPhones so iMessage works fine. Sometimes they message me on Facebook but I don't have Facebook Messenger either so it can take a while for me to realize they've messaged me.
#340
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
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WhatsApp is very useful if you use a service such as Verizon's Travel Pass when traveling abroad. I use my US number to make local calls when I'm out of the country, however, most people abroad have to pay international calling charges when calling me back or texting to my US number. Using WhatsApp enables them to call or text me toll free.
#341
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#342
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Why WhatsApp is pushing back on NSO Group hacking
An interesting Opinion piece in the Washington Post by the head of WhatsApp:
Here's the ad-infested (9 ads for 15 paragraphs of text) full article: Why WhatsApp is pushing back on NSO Group hacking
In May, WhatsApp announced that we had detected and blocked a new kind of cyberattack involving a vulnerability in our video-calling feature. A user would receive what appeared to be a video call, but this was not a normal call. After the phone rang, the attacker secretly transmitted malicious code in an effort to infect the victim’s phone with spyware. The person did not even have to answer the call.
Now, after months of investigation, we can say who was behind this attack. Today, we have filed a complaint that explains what happened and attributes the intrusion to an international technology company called NSO Group.
How can we say this with confidence? As we gathered the information that we lay out in our complaint, we learned that the attackers used servers and Internet-hosting services that were previously associated with NSO. In addition, as our complaint notes, we have tied certain WhatsApp accounts used during the attacks back to NSO. While their attack was highly sophisticated, their attempts to cover their tracks were not entirely successful.
Now, after months of investigation, we can say who was behind this attack. Today, we have filed a complaint that explains what happened and attributes the intrusion to an international technology company called NSO Group.
How can we say this with confidence? As we gathered the information that we lay out in our complaint, we learned that the attackers used servers and Internet-hosting services that were previously associated with NSO. In addition, as our complaint notes, we have tied certain WhatsApp accounts used during the attacks back to NSO. While their attack was highly sophisticated, their attempts to cover their tracks were not entirely successful.
#343
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#344
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Who knew there was a desktop version of WA?
But they patched a big security hole that let people view files on your Mac or PC.
https://arstechnica.com/information-...cess-to-files/
Anyone use it?
I'm finding WA useful for contacting people overseas, rather than texting or calling them.
But I have to enter these foreign numbers manually and often it's for using once or twice, so not much value in saving to an address book.
I'm wondering if using the desktop version allows you to set up chats or calls to these one-time WA numbers more easily than trying to manually tap them in the mobile app.
Anyone use the desktop version? Does it sync with the mobile app?
But they patched a big security hole that let people view files on your Mac or PC.
https://arstechnica.com/information-...cess-to-files/
Anyone use it?
I'm finding WA useful for contacting people overseas, rather than texting or calling them.
But I have to enter these foreign numbers manually and often it's for using once or twice, so not much value in saving to an address book.
I'm wondering if using the desktop version allows you to set up chats or calls to these one-time WA numbers more easily than trying to manually tap them in the mobile app.
Anyone use the desktop version? Does it sync with the mobile app?
#345
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
Programs: CX, DL, Nexus/GE, APEC
Posts: 10,659
Who knew there was a desktop version of WA?
But they patched a big security hole that let people view files on your Mac or PC.
https://arstechnica.com/information-...cess-to-files/
Anyone use it?
I'm finding WA useful for contacting people overseas, rather than texting or calling them.
But I have to enter these foreign numbers manually and often it's for using once or twice, so not much value in saving to an address book.
I'm wondering if using the desktop version allows you to set up chats or calls to these one-time WA numbers more easily than trying to manually tap them in the mobile app.
Anyone use the desktop version? Does it sync with the mobile app?
But they patched a big security hole that let people view files on your Mac or PC.
https://arstechnica.com/information-...cess-to-files/
Anyone use it?
I'm finding WA useful for contacting people overseas, rather than texting or calling them.
But I have to enter these foreign numbers manually and often it's for using once or twice, so not much value in saving to an address book.
I'm wondering if using the desktop version allows you to set up chats or calls to these one-time WA numbers more easily than trying to manually tap them in the mobile app.
Anyone use the desktop version? Does it sync with the mobile app?
Desktop version of WA is no easier or harder to start chats with these one off numbers.