Govt has asked for an audit of WhatsApp security and systems, according to IT minister
The government has issued notice to the Israeli firm accused of misusing WhatsApp for snooping on Indian citizens, Ravi Shankar Prasad, minister of electronics and information technology, told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Also, the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) has asked for an audit of WhatsApp security and systems, Prasad said.
Responding to the Opposition’s questions on whether the government bought spying software called Pegasus from Israel-based NSO Group, which claims to sell only to governments, the minister did not give a straight answer and said “we have sent a notice to NSO also”.
He was replying to a special mention by Congress Member of Parliament Digvijaya Singh on the use of the spyware against some Indians. WhatsApp said on October 29 it was filing a federal complaint in the US against NSO Group for a cyberattack that exploited a vulnerability in the app’s video calling feature. That could compromise the target person’s device. Of the 1,400 people affected globally, 121 were Indians.
The CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security cases as and when they occur, and is the one that has to be informed in the case of a cyber breach. CERT-In sought information, including a need to conduct an audit and inspection of the WhatsApp security system and processes, from the messaging app on November 9. WhatsApp responded on November 18, and additional details were sought on November 26, the minister added…
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