WhatsApp Hack Can Expose Your Private Messages, Photos: How to Stay Safe From Extortion

Once the scammers get access to this code, they then get access to the victim’s entire contact list, along with linked media if they had their WhatsApp accounts backed up. After gaining access, the hackers then proceed to message the most frequently contacted individuals in the victim’s list of messages, who are more likely to trust the person. This leads to a domino effect, using which the hackers are reportedly taking over multiple WhatsApp accounts. Once the accounts are taken over, the scammers then contact the victims and threaten them with releasing private messages and even photos to the public, hence extorting money from these users.

Revealing the pattern of these WhatsApp hacks, Maharashtra Cyber has issued an alert to the public to make sure that they do not share their WhatsApp verification codes with anyone, no matter how convincing they might sound. The main reason behind this recurring hack, it appears is not any flaw in WhatsApp’s own servers or apps, but a dire lack of cyber security knowhow among the common people. Most of these scams and hacks are low level, bulk hack attempts, and are the most common form of cyber scams around the world. However, a lack of awareness around the consequences of sharing a private password is what leads to such situations.

On this note, WhatsApp users are urged to remain ever vigilant about basic cyber security principles, which include not sharing any password or sensitive information with an unknown caller. Authorised personnel do not attempt to take over personal information to fix any flaws or glitches, and individuals are also requested to report such calls and approaches directly to cyber police departments in order to cut down on the threat of such cyber crimes and scams.