ESET cybersecurity expert, Jake Moore, has discovered a method to automatically block any WhatsApp account. He managed to achieve that by sending an email to the service's technical support address, requesting the account lock and providing the linked phone number in the email body.
Initially, WhatsApp did not verify the user data from blocking requests received via this technical support channel. Instead, they immediately proceeded with the account blocking procedure, without deleting the account. This procedure exists specially for cases of lost or stolen phones, according to information from the platform's help section.
To regain access to a blocked WhatsApp account, the user needs to open the messenger application and enter their phone number. WhatsApp will now send a confirmation code, which the user must enter in the application to restore the account and access the previous correspondence.
Moore successfully blocked his test account and another account by sending the necessary request to the technical support email. However, after publicizing this discovery, WhatsApp's technical support closed the bug. They now acknowledge the user's request to block and promise to respond later after verifying the details.
It remains uncertain whether this bug was specifically addressed due to Moore's investigation. It could also be a recent discovery or preexisting vulnerability in WhatsApp.
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