Facebook rewards Kerala student for reporting, suggesting fix for severe WhatsApp bug

tech2 News StaffJun 04, 2019 16:04:14 IST

Facebook owns WhatsApp and though severe bugs lying within the popular messaging app's code are a rarity, one such bug was found and resolved by a Kerala-based 19-year-old student.

The social media giant, after a two-month wait, has now decided to honour the B.Tech student from Kerala's Pathanamthitta district for not only responsibly reporting the bug but also suggesting a fix for it.

As per a report by Kerala-based publication Mathrubhumi, the student, identified as KS Ananthakrishna, found a bug in WhatsApp almost two months ago. The bug which wasn't revealed publicly, allowed hackers to completely remove files on WhatsApp without the knowledge of the user.

Representational image.

The report said that Ananthakrishna, a resident of Alappuzha, informed Facebook about the possible fix to the bug which turned out to be useful information for the messaging giant. After two months of observation, Facebook decided to honour the student for aiding in rectifying the error.

Facebook presented the teen a cash reward of $500 (approximately Rs 34,000) and also promised Ananthakrishna a spot in Facebook's reputed Hall of Fame alongside an entry into the company's public list of people who've responsibly disclosed vital information to the company.

19-year-old Ananthakrishna has been researching on ethical hacking while graduating from Alappuzha's Mount Zion College of Engineering and also works for Kerala Police Cyberdome, a research and development centre of Kerala Police.