A number of well-respected security professionals have slammed the news agency Bloomberg for an op-ed it ran on Tuesday, claiming that WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption was a gimmick, after reports emerged that the app could be exploited by mobile spyware by merely calling the phone of a would-be victim.

The investigation into the attack on the networks of the Australian Parliament and the three main political parties — Liberal, Labor and National — is ongoing and the Australian Signals Directorate says it can offer no comment on it now.

Infosec outfit Resecurity, which has come under scrutiny by some well-known researchers over its attribution of some recent hacks, has hit back by accusing its detractors of having ulterior motives for indulging in such criticism.