iOS and Android security is driving up the price for zero-day WhatsApp exploits

It’s not just the cost of groceries that has gone up. The market price for WhatsApp exploits are also on the rise, but inflation may not be to blame.

Instead, hackers can thank the steady stream of security updates on iOS and Android for the rising cost of defying safeguards against accessing private WhatsApp data. Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is another factor driving up the price for exploits.

TechCrunch has the details on the increased costs for zero-day WhatsApp hacks:

Last week, a Russian company that buys zero-days — flaws in software that are unknown to the developer of the affected product — offered $20 million for chains of bugs that would allow their customers, which the company said are “Russian private and government organizations only,” to remotely compromise phones running iOS and Android.

That $20 million price tag for hacking WhatsApp messages in 2023 compares to data from 2021, per TechCrunch, that valued WhatsApp exploits between $1.7 million and $8 million.

Why single out WhatsApp as a specific target though? It turns out exploiting WhatsApp is often viewed as just one component of exploiting a user’s entire phone.

For its part, Apple has shipped additional features to safeguard targeted users on top of frequent security updates.

For example, Apple’s Lockdown Mode on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. The feature is specifically designed to protect users who fear they may be at risk of surveillance. Apple recently strengthened Lockdown Mode in iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma.