WhatsApp Messaging Encryption Reportedly Sabotaged By John MacAfee, A Hoax
McAfee founder and cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee reportedly tried to trick the media into believing that he has recently sabotaged WhatsApp end-to-end encryption. In a recently published report by technology media outfit Gizmodo, the software billionaire claimed that he attempted to convince reporters that he planted malware into their smartphones to make them believed that he indeed compromised Facebook-owned WhatsApp security features.
"John McAfee, noted liar and one-time creator of anti-virus software, apparently tried to convince reporters that he hacked the encryption used on WhatsApp," Gizmodo reported. "To do this, he attempted to send them phones with preinstalled malware and then convince them he was reading their encrypted conversations."
Just recently, WhatsApp added to its widely popular messaging platform end-to-end encryption to all of its inbound and outbound messages. This means that only the sender and recipient are entitled to know the content, protecting its users from any outside attempt to intercept the messages while on their journey, Patently Apple reported.
After a growing disinterest in his claims, McAfee tried to shift the attention away from WhatsApp's supposed vulnerability to Google's mobile security flaw in its Android software.
However, this isn't the first time that the self-styled libertarian made such grand claims. As reported by Times of India, McAfee said that he would offer his services to the FBI to help unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook following Apple's firm refusal to hack its way into one of its users' devices. The anti-virus pioneer reportedly admitted to making stories for media attention.
Following the hoax that generated certain degree of media frenzy, IT security analyst Dan Guido advise reporters to take the seemingly outlandish demonstrations with a grain of salt.
"I advised the reporter to go out and buy their own phones," Guido said as quoted by Yahoo News. "Because even though they come in a box, it's very easy to get some saran wrap and a hair dryer to rebox them."
