- A new way to bypass WhatsApp’s security has been brought to light.
- The hacker asks the victim to make a call to a specific number to gain access to the user’s WhatsApp account.
- To prevent such threats, one should enable 2-step verification and set up a password or PIN to log in.
WhatsApp threats are becoming norms these days as hackers advance their gears and strategies to put the shenanigans into action. Apparently, there is a new way to bypass WhatsApp’s security, which has been brought to light by Rahul Sasi – founder and CEO of CloudSEk – a contextual AI company that predicts Cyber Threats. According to Rahul Sasi, this new trick is the simplest way to hack someone’s WhatsApp account. The scam is simple – the target gets a call from the attacker and asks the user to place a call on a specific number. If the target dials the number, the hacker can easily take over the user’s account with the movement of a finger snap.
The trick seems akin to the WhatsApp OTP scam that emerged last year in April. Let’s take a look at how this new simple WhatsApp scam works and how you can protect your account from such shenanigans.
A simple WhatsApp hack can take over your account!
Explaining how the new scam works, Sasi said, ‘While there are hundreds of scams, I want to highlight this specific one because of its simplicity. The simpler and shorter the ruse, the more successful the scam.’
To execute this hack, the attacker calls the victim and convinces them to dial “**67*<10 digit number> or *405*<10 digit number>”. Once the target has dialed the number, they’re logged out from their WhatsApp account, and the attacker has complete control over it.
“Once the hacker gets access to the account, they request the victim’s contacts for money. In this manner, the attacker defrauds the victim’s WhatsApp contacts even before the victim realizes that they have lost control of their account. Since service providers across the globe use numbers that begin with ’67’ or ‘405’, victims are wont to place the call without hesitation,” said Rahul Sasi.
This isn’t a new trick in the books of scammers. There have been several similar forms of a cyberattack on other platforms reported in the past. The best way to stay protected from such threats is to enable 2-step verification on your WhatsApp account and set up a password or PIN to log in.
