How To Block WhatsApp

[TavoHern]

I've got someone asking me to block the App WhatsApp at their office. Anyone run into this or have any suggestions on how to do it?

[MRCUR · Accepted solution]

See previous discussion here: https://community.meraki.com/t5/Security-SD-WAN/Blocking-WhatsApp-Traffic-Using-MX84/m-p/12796

The search box at the top is very handy. 😄

[Meraki_Customer]

There is no solution though, on either posts. Still they mark it as solved.

[Guerino]

Hello,

I have blocked WhatsApp on firewall Layer 7 port 5222.  I included on Security &Sdwan > configure: Firewall > Port: 5222. For now, the rule block WhatsApp is working well.

This rule created on MX64.

I hope helpfull

Renato Guerino

Rule Whatsapp

[Guerino]

Hello,

I have blocked WhatsApp on firewall Layer 7 port 5222.  I included on Security &Sdwan > configure: Firewall > Port: 5222. For now, the rule block WhatsApp is working well.

This rule created on MX64.

I hope helpfull

Renato Guerino

[Meraki_Customer]

Port 5222 is not only for Whatsapp, it is used by many other applications such as Jabber, google chat, etc. And hence it will block much more. Not the correct way of achieving the goal.

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@Guerino wrote:

Hello,

I have blocked WhatsApp on firewall Layer 7 port 5222.  I included on Security &Sdwan > configure: Firewall > Port: 5222. For now, the rule block WhatsApp is working well.

This rule created on MX64.

I hope helpfull

Renato Guerino

---

[Obrez]

For anyone dealing with this issue, Meraki and Umbrella were unable to provide a complete solution, due to the heavy integration with Facebook.  Umbrella and Meraki can block the web version, but the mobile app continued to work.  I had to use a layer 3 firewall rule to block the Facebook IP ranges associated with Whatsapp.  You can find them here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/guides/network-requirements/

under the IP addresses section.  It was a complete pain to create 230 objects and 2 object groups (remember object groups only be 150 objects max) but I have successfully blocked whatsapp completely.  I know that the ip addresses may change in the future, but that is something I will just have to deal with when it comes along.