Sabina Amakye
Over the weekend, there have been issues of whatsapp hack and it's on the rise. Many complain of getting messages from their contacts asking to send back a pin code. This message is actually sent by the hacker which by then is not suspected by the user. A pin code is then sent via SMS. When this pin code is shared with the hacker, it allows him to take over the user's whatsapp App.
Apparently, the hacker installs whatsapp with the user's phone number. WhatsApp automatically sends a code to the unsuspecting user via sms. This is the code the hacker who is impersonating the user's contact asks for.
Users innocently share the code with the hacker which enables him to have access to their whatsapp and take over. The hacker activates the two step verification code immediately so even if the user uninstalls and reinstalls the whatsapp app, they cannot have access to their account as they need that code to activate the app.
The hacker goes on to restore chats which enables him to access the user's recent chats, thereby gaining access to some of their contacts. He also activates the "change phone number" option in the whatsapp settings.
If the user is a group admin, the proceeds to remove all group members. He changes other group names to "Porno" and posts emojis to the groups and then continues to prey on other unsuspecting contacts.
One way to prevent this is by activating the two step verification in the whatsapp settings which will alert the user if anyone tries to log into their account.
Find below some of the screenshots:
