The police warned again of a malicious code trick on WhatsApp.
You can find out here how you can recognize it and how you can best protect yourself against it.
Hanover - The WhatsApp messenger has long been considered the most popular app for sending messages, pictures or videos.
The application, which has been part of Facebook since 2014, has almost 2 billion users worldwide and the modern smartphone can no longer be imagined without it.
Unfortunately, this is precisely why it is increasingly becoming the scene of scams and hacker attacks.
Now another nasty code trick is supposed to be up to mischief that could cause users to lose their account.
WhatsApp: Police warn of code trick
As the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office announced, users of the code trick, which is said to have made the rounds in this country last December, would receive a message from a known contact who, however, would be disguised as a fraud.
This notification would ask to forward a code that was allegedly accidentally sent to the user's smartphone.
"Hello sorry, I accidentally sent you a 6-digit code via SMS. Can you please pass it on to me It is urgent"
Code fraudsters are currently sending this message to WhatsApp users.
This code, which actually hits the affected user's smartphone, would come from WhatsApp itself and would be a security PIN for their own account - not a wrongly sent code that was intended for the sender of the fraudulent message.
If you then forward this strictly confidential number combination to your "friend" (who is actually not your acquaintance at all), you would lose access to your WhatsApp account for the time being.
WhatsApp: what happens after the code fraud?
If the code trick is successful and the fraudsters gain access to your account, they would have many options, as the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office further explained.
Among other things, they could add your account to illegal WhatsApp groups, distribute malware or ask your contacts for personal information under your name.
In addition, after the takeover, your account could be used to apply the code trick to other users as well.
+
Anyone who uses WhatsApp should currently be on their guard against a malicious code trick.
© dpa / Fabian Sommer
WhatsApp: Two-factor authentication helps against code trick
Fortunately, while the code trick can have serious consequences, there is a way to protect yourself against it. According to the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office, so-called two-factor authentication should help. You can activate this by going to "Settings" on WhatsApp, then clicking on "Account" and then selecting the "Verification in two steps" option. This allows the account to be secured with a six-digit code and access is only possible after entering this sequence of numbers. An email address can also be given there for additional reinforcement. If your account has already been taken over, according to the LKA Lower Saxony, he can possibly be saved by logging in again, which in addition to his own telephone number is also asked for the two-factor code.
Further information on the insidious code trick and how you can best counteract such attacks can be found in the "Internet crime guide" of the LKA Lower Saxony.
The code trick isn't the only headline WhatsApp has been drawing attention to lately. Just recently, changes to the terms of use created a lot of confusion and turmoil. In addition, an ominous chain letter is said to have circulated among users, which is said to have warned of a major innovation in group chats.
(le)
List of rubric lists: © IMAGO / NurPhoto
