Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – If any of the signs below appear on WhatsApp, you must be careful because it could be that your account is being hijacked or tapped.
Hijacking a WhatsApp account can result in the account being completely drained. This is certainly detrimental to users.
Not only that, cybercriminals can also spy on your WhatsApp activities. For example, peeking at private messages and contact contents.
There are many ways for hackers to carry out piracy and spying. Such as installing third party applications, using WhatsApp Web, and sending malware to cellphones.
This will be very dangerous. Moreover, WhatsApp is now also used to receive One Time Passwords from various applications, including online shopping and financial applications.
The characteristics of WhatsApp being tapped are quite easy to recognize, here are the signs:
1. OTP
One Time Password (OTP) is a six-digit code and is usually sent via SMS when accessing WhatsApp. This means that if a message suddenly comes in and sends an OTP but you are not the one who wants to log in to your account, don't give the OTP code to anyone.
2. Exit WhatsApp
One characteristic that can be recognized is suddenly leaving WhatsApp. It could be that another device is trying to log into your WhatsApp account. You can find out about the other device by pressing the three dots icon and selecting WhatsApp Web.
3. Message Read
When a message has been opened and read, you have to be careful. This could be a sign that your account has been hacked.
4. Message Sent Alone
This characteristic is the same as before. Be wary if a message suddenly sends itself even though you never sent it.
How to prevent WhatsApp from being hijacked
You need preventative steps to prevent becoming a victim of WhatsApp hijacking. One of them is by activating the two-step verification feature, so other people still cannot access WhatsApp because they don't know the PIN that was previously set.
Follow these steps to enable two-step verification:
- Click the three dots icon in the WhatsApp application.
- Select Settings.
- Go to Account settings.
- Select Two-step verification.
- WhatsApp will ask to activate two-step verification with a PIN.
- Click Enable to activate the feature.
- Create a PIN, enter six digits as desired.
- Next you will be asked to enter the email address connected to the account. This is for if one day you want to change your PIN.
So, those are some ways to recognize that a WhatsApp account is being hijacked or tapped by someone else, as well as how to prevent it. Hope it is useful!
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(dem/dem)