WhatsApp Local Storage Claim Raises Apple Privacy Questions – TechRepublic

End-to-end encryption can protect a message in transit, but it cannot protect every place that message lands. Researchers at Mysk have alleged that WhatsApp stores some decrypted chat data in readable local database files on macOS and iOS, raising questions about how much protection users have after messages reach an Apple device. The allegation points to a broader issue for messaging apps: encryption can protect delivery, but local databases, device backups, shared app containers, and operating system controls still matter once a message is opened. For organizations that allow WhatsApp on managed devices, the issue is less about whether end-to-end encryption works and more about what happens on the endpoint after encryption has done its job. Researchers allege readable local databases Security researchers at Mysk alleged that WhatsApp stores some chat databases in an app group container that could be accessible to apps from the same developer, depending on permissions and platform protections. “WhatsApp stores chat databases unencrypted in an app group container accessible to apps from the same developer,” the researchers said, according to Cyber Security News. Some WhatsApp data files, including Axolotl.sqlite, ContactsV2.sqlite, and LocalKeyValue.sqlite, were found in a shared WhatsApp container on Apple devices. App group containers
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