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WhatsApp users?
Your account is at risk
WhatsApp users?
This is a reminder that your account is at risk.
Two security researchers have found a sophisticated loophole that allows you to delete your WhatsApp account remotely.
This way you can defend against it
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Walla!
TECH
Tuesday, 13 April 2021, 11:09 Updated: 11:20
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WhatsApp users?
Your account is in danger (Photo: ShutterStock)
Using WhatsApp?
Your account may be compromised.
Security researchers Luis Marx Carpentero and Ernesto Canales Perna have discovered a loophole that allows attackers to block your WhatsApp account remotely.
The news was reported in Forbes, where investigators said they discovered the flaw in its app due to two significant vulnerabilities.
The first weakness allows the attacker to enter the victim's phone number in WhatsApp, which of course will not give access to the WhatsApp account unless the attacker obtains the six-digit registration code.
After several failed attempts, WhatsApp will block the option to receive the code for 12 hours.
Then, the attacker can contact WhatsApp support, thereby disabling the phone number from within the app.
All you have to do is send an email to customer service, stating that your smartphone has been stolen or lost.
WhatsApp, for its part, will ask for confirmation that the attacker can provide, and this action will disable WhatsApp, even if the victim has performed two-step verification.
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Using WhatsApp?
The tips you must know
To the full article
A WhatsApp spokesman told Gadgets 360 that users can avoid the problem of disabling accounts by attaching the email address when using 2-step verification.
"Providing an email address with 2-step verification will help customer service staff help people if they encounter this issue. Circumstances identified by this researcher violate our Terms of Service, and we encourage anyone who needs help sending an email to support staff to investigate That, "the spokesman said.
However, WhatsApp did not provide details on whether it fixed the security hole, and only recommended using two-step verification, along with an email address.
At this stage it is also not clear what the extent of the injury is, if at all.
Given that the details are now published worldwide, attackers may try to exploit the loophole, and disabling an account for several hours may also harm the user.
WhatsApp has over two billion users worldwide, with 400 million of them in India.
It is highly doubtful that most users will register their email addresses, so as long as WhatsApp does not perform further verification just before it disables the accounts, it is possible that over a billion users are vulnerable.
Using WhatsApp?
It's time to set up 2-step verification, but don't forget to attach an email address (Photo: Screenshot, Screenshot)
This is how you will protect your account
If you received a suspicious message from WhatsApp that includes a 6-digit code, someone may be trying to hack into your account.
Usually, after this message is sent, you are likely to receive a message from the hacker on WhatsApp or SMS in which you will be asked to enter the code.
In any case, do not give the code to anyone, neither in WhatsApp nor in SMS.
It is also recommended to enable 2-step verification in WhatsApp.
This can be done by logging in to the app, clicking on Settings, Account, and then on 2-Step Verification.
This is a tool designed to protect you in case hackers were able to get the verification code sent by SMS.
2-step verification is actually a password that you set, and if you have forgotten it, you can reset the password using the email account that must be attached when setting up 2-step verification.
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