#TechBytes: How to secure your WhatsApp from hacking attempts
In the digital age, people value their data just as much as their money. However, more often than not, we hear cases of attack on this data, be it your personal details or photos/videos, through different vectors, including WhatsApp. The messaging service has already been subjected to various nefarious hacking attempts and, yes, your account can be compromised too. Here's how to stop that.
Hacking into WhatsApp can be a piece of cake
Hacking someone's WhatsApp account is similar to tricking them into paying their money - all one needs to know is how to fool a person (called phishing in technical terms). Attackers can use different social engineering tricks, like saying your SIM is about to get blocked, to convince you into sharing the six-digit code that is required for logging into WhatsApp.
People can also use trust to get the code
Along with social engineering, people you know, like your friends or colleagues, can use the element of trust to get hold of the WhatsApp login code. They can go for such attacks especially when you are busy with something, like while working/traveling.
Once you share the code, they can log in
As soon as you share the six-digit code, the hacker would get access to your WhatsApp account as well as the messages and media files sent/received on it. From there on, they can not only invade your personal life but also spam your account with incorrect six-digit codes (through another device) so that it gets locked and you cannot get back in.
So, how to stop that from happening?
In order to dodge such attacks, you just need to keep two basic things in mind. First, never share the six-digit WhatsApp code received on your number with anyone - not even with your parents, not best friends, siblings or anyone else you trust. Secondly, enable two-factor PIN on your account so that even if someone gets the code they can't log in.
Here's how to enable WhatsApp's PIN verification system
Open WhatsApp, tap on the three-dotted icon on the upper right corner and head over to Settings. From there, go into Account > Two-Step Verification and hit the Enable button to enter a six-digit security PIN of your choice and backup email in case you forget that PIN. Once that's done, this PIN would be required to verify WhatsApp logins associated with your number.
WhatsApp will help you remember the PIN
After setting up the PIN, WhatsApp will keep asking for it so that you do not forget it over time. The PIN and backup email can also be changed from Settings, if needed. Notably, this method cannot block all ways to break into WhatsApp, like how Jeff Bezos or many academicians got hacked, but it can certainly prove helpful to a large extent.
