2022---whatsapp--nearly-500-million-numbers-are-for-sale-on-the-dark-web Link

In November 2022, a database containing nearly 487 million WhatsApp user mobile numbers was offered for sale on a hacking forum, with significant representation from users in Egypt, Italy, and the US [1]. While a Meta spokesperson denied a direct breach, analysts suggest the data was likely compiled through automated scraping, posing risks for phishing and marketing spam [1]. The incident, which did not expose message content, prompted recommendations for users to enable two-step verification and restrict privacy settings. Read the full analysis at Google.