Post #3245634
2026-05-25 03:29 UTC
@mysk@mastodon.social Interesting exchange on, dare I say it, X: 🧵
@wabetainfo@mastodon.social :
This is misleading. While it is true that WhatsApp's database is not encrypted on the device, it is stored in a secure container that only the app can access. If there are system-level exploits that allow another app or process to access its contents, it is up to the operating system to fix them.
The claim that other Meta apps can access the WhatsApp database is incorrect. The database is in a shared container to enable WhatsApp to easily migrate data to WhatsApp Business. Other Meta apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, cannot access this container.
Specifically, containerURLForSecurityApplicationGroupIdentifier:@"http://group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared" returns NULL if called from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Edits, and other Meta apps. Only WhatsApp Business can access that container to migrate data to WhatsApp Messenger. Similarly, WhatsApp cannot access the containers of other Meta apps, such as those of Facebook (http://group.com.facebook.Facebook) and Instagram (http://group.com.burbn.instagram). However, Edits can access Instagram's shared container.
As a result, WhatsApp's data is isolated within its own app group container. Cross-app access is not possible under normal system permissions
Replies (1)
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@psylo@infosec.exchange 2026-05-25 03:33
Reply from: @mysk@mastodon.social : WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram apps do have a shared group container called “group . com . facebook . family” even if WhatsApp is from a different Apple developer account. You can see this in this screenshot of the entitlements file for each app. So Meta can share data between all their apps through app group containers, even if they belong to different developer accounts.