WhatsApp piracy is on the rise again, this is the hacker's method!

Lovata Andrean

WA Hacker Mode
WA Hacker Mode

WhatsApp piracy is on the rise again, this is the hacker's method! – WhatsApp piracy is back in full swing again. A number of users reported on social media that their accounts were suddenly taken over by hackers for criminal activities.

Even The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued a warning asking the public to be alert to the increasingly inventive tactics used by cybercriminals who try to hijack WhatsApp accounts.

This warning was issued due to increasing reports of cases of fraud committed via the application, as reported by The Star Online, Monday (25/1/2021).

MCMC said WhatsApp account hijacking is usually successful if the victim leaks the six-digit verification code, which users typically receive when an attempt is made to change the phone number associated with their account. This verification code is sent via SMS.

One method is that the scammer contacts a potential victim posing as an individual or business claiming to have entered the victim's telephone number incorrectly when trying to complete an online transaction, as a result of which a transaction authorization code has been sent to the victim's phone and begs to send the code.

Requests to be sent this verification code can even come from family members or friends of victims via accounts that have been hijacked by fraudsters, said MCMC.

This tactic usually misleads victims into thinking they are sending an unrelated TAC (transaction authorization code) to the fraudster when in fact they are handing over a six-digit verification code to the victim's own WhatsApp account.

Another method, scammers impersonate WhatsApp employees to fool users into sharing their verification codes. There are also cases where fraudsters intentionally enter the code several times and fail to force the WhatsApp system to contact the user about their verification code.

In this case, the scammer, pretending to be someone else, will contact the user to ask for the code. If the user does not answer the automatic call by WhatsApp and goes to the user's voice mailbox, then fraudsters will try to guess randomly or ask for the PIN code of the user's voice mailbox to access the recording, explained MCMC.

The watchdog also advised WhatsApp users to be suspicious of any attempts to obtain the six-digit verification code, and reminded them of the importance of not disclosing the code to other people to prevent their accounts from being hijacked.

Additionally users must also enable two-factor verification on WhatsApp and use a more complex PIN number for their voice mailbox as an additional security measure.

According to the FAQ by WhatsApp, users may be sent a verification code via SMS – even if not requested – for a number of reasons.

WhatsApp says this could happen because someone mistyped their own number, or hackers tried to take over the person's account. Without the code, hackers will not be able to complete the verification process, which will prevent the account from being hijacked.

If your account has been stolen, you must log in to WhatsApp with your phone number and verify the phone number by entering the six-digit code received via SMS. After entering the six-digit SMS code, the person using your account will be automatically logged out.

You may also be asked to provide a two-step verification code. If you don't know this code, the hijacker using your account may have enabled two-step verification. You'll have to wait seven days before you can log in without a two-step verification code, according to WhatsApp.

source: cnbcindonesia.com

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Lovata Andrean

Hi, I'm Lovata, I'm not Ai but I am a content writer for SEO, Technology, Finance, Travel, Cooking Recipes and others. I hope this can be useful for all my friends. Thanks