{"id":35785,"date":"2014-06-03T06:00:17","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=35785"},"modified":"2025-08-07T22:38:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T05:38:06","slug":"viber-app-sends-data-unencrypted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/viber-app-sends-data-unencrypted\/","title":{"rendered":"The Privacy Problems with Mobile Messaging Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you chat with someone through a third-party messaging app, be aware that someone may read it\u2014someone other than your intended recipient. Much like a package left unattended on your doorstep, the risk of someone getting ahold of personal items or information is at an all time high. Online privacy is a premium, which is why mobile chat apps that proclaim to keep conversations completely secure are so popular\u2014despite some recent hiccups.<\/p>\n

In late April, security researchers discovered that the popular mobile messaging app, Viber, sent video and images without encrypting them<\/a> (the equivalent of scrambling the message so only the intended receiver can descramble and thus read) first. To make matters worse, the app also stored the messages online on a publicly available server, making it possible for private photos and messages to be accessed by anyone with enough determination and knowhow. The company has now solved the issue, but the potential damage done is still hard to determine.<\/p>\n

But Viber isn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

Snapchat<\/a>, the popular messaging platform that promises to erase each message after it is viewed, recently settled with the Federal Trade Commission<\/a> regarding a similar infraction. The reason: its messages didn\u2019t actually disappear as often as promised.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s WhatsApp, the messaging platform recently acquired by Facebook for $16 billion. In December, I wrote about the security bug<\/a> that allowed its chat histories to be stored in other apps on an Android phone\u2014an easily exploitable security hole<\/a> for hackers.<\/p>\n

All of these bugs, loopholes and lapses in security highlight the reality that mobile messaging apps aren\u2019t as secure as you think they are. Additionally, whether something is supposedly anonymous or ephemeral, what you send is on the Internet forever<\/a> in some form or another. In reality, once you hit the \u201cpost\u201d or \u201csend\u201d button\u2014and in some cases, even before\u2014any message, photo, video, chat log, comment or email is never truly erased on the Web.<\/p>\n

While all of these vulnerabilities are fixable and often fixed as soon as they are discovered, the burden of protecting private messages still falls on the user. Because most of these mobile chat apps store messages on servers before relaying them to your intended recipient, it leaves them vulnerable to clever criminals or security loopholes. Anyone with the right hacking knowledge, or warrant, can access those private messages later without your or the company\u2019s knowledge. And then it\u2019s out there, forever.<\/p>\n

How to Protect Your Information When Using Mobile Chat Apps<\/h2>\n

So with this in mind, what can you do to protect yourself and your personal information when using mobile chat apps like Viber? Here are a few things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n