ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has alerted WhatsApp users about hacking risks and shared recommendations, for prompt steps to safeguard their accounts.
The NCCIA recommended that users who lose control over their accounts or believe their accounts have been accessed without permission should take action and re-register their accounts. If hacking occurs users are advised to uninstall. Then reinstall WhatsApp before signing in with their phone number. They must quickly input the six-digit verification code received through SMS.
After the code is input the hacker will be logged out automatically since WhatsApp permits one active session on each device.
The agency also responded to worries regarding the “Two-Step Verification” function clarifying that users might need to wait long as seven days if a hacker has activated it and the user lacks the PIN. NCCIA assured users that, throughout this waiting time the hacker is unable to read messages or operate the account.
Furthermore, the NCCIA brought to the attention that in case a user has previously linked an email address, they can simply click on “Forgot PIN” and change their PIN instantly without waiting for a reset.
The institution stressed that immediate intervention is capable of stopping the occurrence of unauthorized access and safeguarding the personal data of the user from the hands of hackers.
Stay connected: WhatsApp officially launches on Apple Watch
The long wait is over, and the instant messaging application for WhatsApp is now available on the Apple Watch. Meta has dished out wrist technology.
The company’s announcement of the update was published via a blog entry, wherein they further indicated that the Apple Watch users could totally depend on WhatsApp i.e. all the basic messaging functions would be hands-free and phone-less.
In the past, Apple Watch owners could only interact with messages they had received by way of notification, but the new watchOS application changes this scenario completely. Apart from this new app, users will also be able to send and receive messages, view chat history and use the phone-connected feature even when away from their phones but of course, the user needs to connect an iPhone for this.
WhatsApp has also included that the new application will handle images, stickers, and it will also come with full end-to-end encryption making sure that user data remains confidential.
The application will support Apple Watch Series 4 and all subsequent smartwatch models.
As for Android smartwatches, which came with WhatsApp since 2023, the Apple wearables are now half-featured ones. Nonetheless, Meta admitted that the first version of the app still requires a phone linked to it, and if the phone is off, then WhatsApp on the Apple Watch may also not work as intended.
This extremely anticipated cross-platform connection has been made possible to the Apple Watch users, as the WhatsApp experience is no longer tied to the mobile phone, therefore, the smartphone and the wearable devices’ boundaries are less defined now.
