How to protect yourself from getting hacked on WhatsApp

BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces released earlier this week a warning regarding a social hacking method currently being used in Lebanon to steal people’s WhatsApp account. 

This manipulation method relies on the interaction between the hacker and the end user. 

“In the process, the hacker pretends to be a source from WhatsApp and asks the victim to send a security code to authenticate the user’s ownership of the account,” the warning states.

When the user sends the code, his/her account gets breached. The hacker thus, gains unauthorized access to the account and blocks the victim from his/her account for hours. The hacker then steals the victim’s chats, pictures, and videos and cyber bullies the user.  The internal security forces recommends not to reply to any account or number that claims to be from WhatsApp. 

What should you do if you’re already a victim of this social hacking method?

If you happen to be a victim, the proposed way to get back an access to your account is by contacting WhatsApp support. WhatsApp support will shut down your account temporarily and provide you with a special technique to gain access back to your account, which usually takes 7 days.  

How can you protect your WhatsApp account from getting hacked in the future? 

The ideal way to prevent getting cyber attacked is to activate 2FA (two factor authentication) from WhatsApp settings. You can activate 2FA by going to WhatsApp settings - account -two step verification. Make sure to link an email that you will never forget to your WhatsApp account. When the hacker tries to steal the account, WhatsApp will ask for a 6-digit password that the hacker won’t be able to obtain.

And always remember, WhatsApp will never ask the end user to provide any kind of codes or information, it all demands on the end user requests. 

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Khaled AbdAlRazak is a cyber security analyst.