On any given day, there are 50 million Smartphone users enjoying the ease and speed of their respective Smartphones as well as the functionality of the apps which seem to be increasing in number daily. Unfortunately, one of these apps, the Viber app, originally created for use with iPhones has a serious flaw that leaves your Smartphone vulnerable.
Viber was originally supposed to be a direct competitor with Skype, the video and voice over IP phone service online. It was released in a restricted form in 2010, but today there are Viber apps for Android, Blackberry and Windows phones.
The flaw gives a hacker access to your Smartphone whether it is locked or not. If you have a phone with the Viber app installed and the phone number of an intended victim who also has the Viber app installed, the steps to gain access to their phone are as follows. Open up the Viber messaging app and send a message to the victim. It doesn’t matter how short or long the message is. When the victim opens the message, send another message to make the Viber QWERTY board pop up on their phone. The next step is largely dependent on which type of phone the victim has.
If they have a Nexus 4, a Galaxy, or Xperia phone, press the back button on your phone, if the victim as the Sensation XE, call the victim and hang up before they can answer. This will create a missed call and you will have access to the victim’s phone. Viber’s makers are working on a plan to fix the problem and hope to have it done by next week. Until then, be cautious in receiving Viber texts and messages or uninstall the app from your phone. This will help you to avoid any attack on your smart phones by hackers.
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