WhatsApp users could be victims of hacking through the messaging service just by receiving a text message, several cyber forensics course specialists report. WhatsApp is still one of the most widely used messaging services in the world, with currently more than 1.5 billion active users.
Due to the level of active users it has, WhatsApp has become one of the primary objectives for multiple groups of malicious hackers in search of stealing information, among other illicit activities.
This is why this service, owned by Facebook, is used to dealing with this kind of hacking activities; however, cyber forensics course specialists claim that the most recent attack campaign could be the most dangerous so far.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the United Arab Emirates has launched a security alert requesting users not to share with anyone any supposed confirmation code, received via SMS; “otherwise, your account could be hacked”, the security alert mentions.
The criminals behind this scam try to deceive the users of the messaging service through a fake verification code. Cyber forensics course experts mention that the attackers try to make those who receive this SMS respond to the message or click on the attached link, which could cause the hacking of an account.
According to experts from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) the main problem with this malicious campaign is that the messages the victim receives are virtually identical to the legitimate messages sent by WhatsApp to set up a new account or to activate functions such as WhatsApp Web.
The main security measure to prevent your account from being hacked is to delete any unsolicited SMS that claims to come from the company, as most likely it is the message of scammers.
Specialists have not yet confirmed whether this scam is only present in UAE, although they consider it highly probable that threat actors will try to attack in other regions of the world, including America and Europe.
Unfortunately, incidents of this class are frequently presented in WhatsApp. The most popular scams, known as WhatsApp Plus or WhatsApp Gold, consist of a message sent to random users announcing an alleged Premium version of the service; the perpetrators mainly seek malware injection and/or information theft.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
