Pavel Durov slams WhatsApp users in a brutal security rant

Pavel Durov slams WhatsApp users in a brutal security rant / Collage by Kursiv.media, photo editor: Dastan Shanay

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said WhatsApp is not secure, making the claim in a post on the social media platform X.

According to Durov, the Meta-owned messaging service contains numerous vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. He said his team identified several potential weaknesses while analyzing WhatsApp’s encryption system.

In his post, Durov used harsh language to describe people («braindead») who believe WhatsApp remains secure in 2026.

Durov’s comments followed a lawsuit filed against Meta by an international group of plaintiffs, who accuse the company of misleading users about WhatsApp’s security.

The plaintiffs allege that despite claims of end-to-end encryption, that prevents the company from reading users’ messages, WhatsApp is capable of storing and analyzing user messages. According to the lawsuit, that data could potentially be accessed by fraudsters or government agencies.

In January 2026, reports emerged of a new scam targeting WhatsApp users. In the scheme, fraudsters send messages containing links to fake websites. Once a user clicks the link, attackers can gain full access to the account, sometimes without the victim realizing it for an extended period.