Tezzbuzz Desk- An important warning has been issued for WhatsApp users. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, a government agency working under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (CERT-In) has issued an alert regarding a new cyber threat. The agency has appealed to the users to be cautious.
According to the warning of CERT-In, this threat is to a new cyber technology named Ghost Pairing. In this, a group of hackers can cleverly take control of the WhatsApp account. The device-linking feature of WhatsApp is being misused in this scam.
It has been told in the warning that cyber attackers hijack WhatsApp accounts through pairing code without any strong authentication. Once the account is linked, hackers gain access to real-time chats, photos, videos and important secrets.
WhatsApp hacking often starts with a simple message. Victim receives a message from a known contact –“Hi, check this photo” There is a link with the message, in which a preview like Facebook is visible.
When the user tries to open that preview, the website asks for mobile number entry and verification. According to CERT-In, during this process, cyber criminals hijack the WhatsApp account.
If any known person also sends such a message and is asked to enter the mobile number, do verification, open the link, then be alert immediately. Verifying your number on any such link can get your WhatsApp hacked.
WhatsApp users for their own safety Settings > Linked Devices Do check the features. From here you can see on which devices your WhatsApp account is logged in. If you see any unknown device, log it out immediately. This feature is available for both Android and iOS users.
CERT-In has appealed to all WhatsApp users to stay away from suspicious links, fake messages and unknown verification requests, so that cyber fraud can be avoided.
