Whatsapp admits security can be abused by criminals

WHATSAPP has admitted that its encryption software can be abused by terrorists and criminals and said it was looking for ways to track illegal behaviour in its app.

The messaging service, which is owned by Facebook, has been criticised for giving terrorists “a place to hide” due to its unbreakable end-to-end security system that blocks governments from intercepting messages.

Yesterday, Whatsapp said it was seeking ideas on how to “detect problematic behaviour” and that it was offering researchers rewards of up to $50,000 (£38,000) for ideas on how to address the problem.

The development comes in response to increased pressure from authorities hoping to crack down on illegal activity organised via the free app.

Last year, Amber Rudd, who was then the home secretary, vowed to “call time” on internet firms that gave terrorists “a place to hide”, after security services were powerless to access Whatsapp messages sent by Khaled Massood, the Westminster attacker.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security, said researchers could look at solutions involving metadata on Whatsapp, using time and length of interactions to try to find trends and patterns.

He said they could theoretically also examine content shared on Whatsapp through homomorphic encryption, a technique that converts data into ciphertext (or encrypted text) that can be analysed and worked with as if it were still in its original form. He said both options were “incredibly difficult”.

“If there was something available it would have come out by now,” Prof Woodward said.