Olusegun Odebiyi
WhatsApp messaging service is incredibly easy to set up, but this easy setup process means that your account is open to abuse if you’re not careful.
Thankfully, it’s fairly simple to enable an extra layer of security on your account, which means that you won’t lose it if your six-digit activation code gets compromised.
In theory, having your WhatsApp account taken over should be a fairly easy situation to resolve: just enter your phone number into the app and have it send you another six-digit code. The problem is that hackers can spam your number with a bunch of incorrect six-digit codes so that you get locked out of your account for up to 12 hours.
Then, if you hadn’t set up a PIN of your own, this leaves an attacker free to set up one of their own on your account, locking you out for seven days in total.
That’s why it’s so important to remember these two rules:
- Never share your six-digit WhatsApp code with anyone — not your parents, not your best friend, and definitely not your sibling. No one will ever have a legitimate reason to ask for the code that WhatsApp sends you over SMS, so don’t even think about sharing it.
- Should the worst happen, then setting up a PIN will act as another barrier to stop someone from being able to sign in to your account, and it will stop this nightmare from happening to you.
Here are seven tips you should keep in mind to protect hackers attack you via WhatsApp. Kindly follow the steps and secure your whatsaap App.
1. End-to-end encryption
All WhatsApp users should ensure that their chats are end-to-end encrypted. To verify that a chat is end-to-end encrypted, open the chat, tap on the name of the contact to open the contact info screen, and then tap Encryption to view the QR code and 60-digit number. WhatsApp end-to-end encryption ensures that only you and your contact can read the messages that are being exchanged and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.
Please, if you have not done your WhatsApp Two-step verification, kindly go and do it because the rate at which hackers are hacking and scamming people’s WhatsApp is increasing by the day.
They act on your integrity. They’ll change your phone number to theirs and replace you in whatsoever group you belong. They then begin to use your name/number to scam people.
In order to prevent such a thing from happening to you because no one knows who the next victim will be, please follow the steps highlighted below:
On your WhatsApp page:
- Tap the the 3 vertical dots on the top right handside of your WhatsApp interface
- Select settings
- Click on Account
- Click on Two-step verification
- Enter PIN (6 digits pin you will remember) Confirm your PIN
- Input your Email Address (Valid Email Address) Confirm your Email Address
- …and save. That’s all!
If someone wants to change it, WhatsApp will ask for the Two-step verification and without it the account won’t open.
It won’t cost you anything to take these simple precautions on your WhatsApp account.
2. Don’t click on any suspicious link
Do you keep getting random links as messages from your contact on WhatsApp? Well, then you should never click on links that you find fishy. In fact, it’s a good idea to first known what the sent link is all about from your contact and then click on it. Some reports suggest that WhatsApp is working on a “suspicious link” feature, which will make it easy for users to find out a certain link is authentic or not.
3. Tweak those privacy settings
WhatsApp provides various privacy options to the users. The messaging platform provides users with options to choose who they want to share their profile photo, status, and other details with. It’s a good idea to change the Setting to “Contacts only”. This means only phone number that are saved on your smartphone will be able to see your profile photo, status, phone number, and auto-delete status as well.
4. Deactivate WhatsApp when phone is stolen, lost
Losing phone is a very common phenomenon. In this case, you should ensure to deactivate WhatsApp account before someone else hacks it and gets access to all your personal data. To deactivate WhatsApp account, go to Settings, Delete my account option, enter phone number, and then click on “Delete my account”.
5. Remember to log out of WhatsApp Web
We often have the tendency to login to WhatsApp Web at office and then leave the account open on the desktop. This habit can actually create problems for you. Someone else sitting on the same PC can access all your chats without you even realising it. It’s a good practice to Logout from WhatsApp Web before leaving office. It’s just takes seconds to login again. Just scan the code and you’re done.
6. Lock WhatsApp screen
Try out WhatsApp lock screen option available on Android. This will ensure no one else can but you can open your WhatsApp account. Just head to Settings menu, Privacy, and then select Screen Lock option. You will then need to register your fingerprint. After the process is completed, you will have to scan your fingerprint every time you open the WhatsApp app. This adds an extra layer of security.
Olusegun Odebiyi is the CEO of Fuse Computer Solutions, a business specialized in CCTV installation, LAN Setup, Radio Deployment and Mobile Banking Agency
He can be reached on Whatsaap: 08170290909 and fusecomputersolutions@gmail.com