ISLAMABAD: A huge rise in cyberattacks against WhatsApp accounts has been seen in Pakistan, which has led the National Emergency Response Team (National CERT) to issue a warning all over the country.
National CERT claims that criminals are taking control of people’s WhatsApp accounts by making fake calls, sending fraudulent links, using one-time passwords (OTPs), or scanning QR codes. The group also specified that common users are not the only ones impacted by these attacks; business and office WhatsApp accounts are now at high risk because of it.
Cyber attackers are deceiving users by acting out WhatsApp support staff, telecom company workers, or even acquaintances of the user to gain access to their sensitive data. After taking control of an account, the criminals perform various illegal activities by using the impersonated person’s identity such as sending deceitful messages or even extorting money from the person’s contacts.
One of the things pointed out in the National CERT alert was that sudden logouts, unusual devices linked, and unrequested OTPs are clear indicators such that the account might have been hacked.
National CERT has requested WhatsApp users not to share their verification code, PIN, or QR code with anyone. The team also suggested turning on the two-step verification process and linking an email for recovery so as to increase account security.
Users who have been affected are recommended to do an immediate uninstall of WhatsApp followed by a reinstallation, then re-verification of their phone number, and finally, reporting any suspicious activity to the police or other respective authorities.
The National CERT website is available for users who want to know more about how to secure their WhatsApp accounts.
