Police Issue WhatsApp Account Hacking Warning—How To Stop It

Dip not open your account to hackers.

AFP via Getty Images

WhatsApp attacks are headline news. First Apple then Samsung issued emergency updates for iPhone and Galaxy phones. Now the police say account takeovers are rising, warning users to make a change to “protect your WhatsApp account against hackers.”

The Apple and Samsung updates followed a private disclosure by Meta. These were targeted attacks, which exploited WhatsApp and iOS/Android vulnerabilities. A very small number of users were compromised, but you should update your phone now.

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Hackers taking over accounts is a very different threat — it’s simple and widespread and has not gone away, despite alerts such as this being issued year after year.

The latest such warning comes from the City of London Police via its Action Fraud reporting service. The threat is global. WhatsApp is the world’s leading messaging platform by some distance. And with 3 billion users, every country is affected.

The latest police advice comes in three parts:

Users are told they should “never share your account’s activation code (that 6 digit code you receive via SMS).” This is used to activate an account on a new phone and comes from WhatsApp itself. If you’re ever asked to share any one-time code, you must refuse.

Users are also told to beware unusual or surprising requests from friends and family. “Stop. Think. Call. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identify.”

Those requests could be to send a code, send money, open an attachment or even install an app. All these requests are dangerous and could see your data and passwords stolen.

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The third piece of advice is the most critical. “Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable.” It’s really that simple. This is a passcode you set, not WhatsApp. It stops an attacker installing your account on their own phone and messaging your contacts.

You should also add an email address in those same account settings and a passkey as well. While WhatsApp hijacks are on the rise, stopping your own account being taken over is easy. Take a minute and make these changes now.

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