WhatsApp Hijacking is Rising Again, This is Hacker's Mode!
WhatsApp Hijacking is Rising Again, This is Hacker's Mode! – WhatsApp piracy is back in action again. A number of users reported on social media that their accounts were suddenly taken over by hackers for criminal acts.
Even The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued a warning asking the public to be aware of the increasing number of inventive tactics used by cybercriminals trying to hijack WhatsApp accounts.
This warning was issued due to increasing reports of cases of fraud committed through application, as reported by The Star Online, Monday (25/1/2021).
MCMC said WhatsApp account hijacking was usually successful if the victim divulged the six-digit verification code, which users would normally receive when an attempt was made to change the phone number associated with their account. This verification code is sent via SMS.
One way is for scammers to contact potential victims posing as individuals or businesses claiming to have entered the victim's phone number incorrectly while trying to complete an online transaction, as a result of which a transaction authorization code has been sent to the victim's phone and requests to send the code.
Requests for this verification code to be sent can even come from a family member or friend of the victim through an account that has been hijacked by fraudsters, said the MCMC.
This tactic usually misleads victims into thinking that they are sending an unrelated TAC (transaction authorization code) to scammers when in fact they are submitting a six-digit verification code to the victim's own WhatsApp account.
In another mode, scammers impersonate WhatsApp employees to fool users into sharing their verification codes. There have also been cases where fraudsters intentionally entered the code multiple times and failed 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 asking for the code. If the user does not answer the automated call by WhatsApp and enters the user's voice mailbox, then fraudsters will try to randomly guess or ask for the user's voice mailbox PIN code to access the recording, MCMC said.
The watchdog also advised WhatsApp users to be suspicious of any attempts to obtain a six-digit verification code, and asked to remind them of the importance of not disclosing the code to others to prevent their accounts from being hijacked.
In addition, users must also enable two-factor verification on WhatsApp and use a more complicated PIN number for their voice mailbox as an added security measure.
According to an FAQ by WhatsApp, users may be sent a verification code via SMS – even if not requested – for a number of reasons.
WhatsApp says this can happen because someone mistyped their own number, or a hacker is trying to take over that person's account. Without the code, the hacker won't be able to complete the verification process, which will prevent the account from being hijacked.
If your account has been stolen, you will need to log into 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, people using your account will be logged out automatically.
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 have to wait seven days before you can sign in without a two-step verification code, according to WhatsApp.
Source : cnbcindonesia.com