WhatsApp users are being warned about a new hack that could see your account and messages taken over entirely.
Security experts at Sophos have detailed the potential threat to WhatsApp users, explaining that hackers could take advantage of unchanged default settings to take control of an account as if they were the account holder.
According to researchers, the hacker only needs your phone number to be able to access your WhatsApp account and messages.
Digital Spy has reached out to WhatsApp for comment.
WhatsApp is considered to be one of the safest messaging apps to use, primarily due to its end-to-end encryption. But, to be safe, one of the easiest ways to protect yourself against this new hacking ‘trick’ is to make sure you turn on two-factor authentication on your WhatsApp account.
To do so, follow: Settings > Account > Two-step verification > Enable.
The security flaw was first documented last year, but has recently received more public attention after it was highlighted again by tech site ZDNet earlier this week.
It follows after WhatsApp owner Facebook recently admitted to a major security breach affecting 90 million accounts.
The company confirmed that it had initiated a mass log-out as a security measure last month after discovering it had been targeted once again in a mass hack, with Facebook’s vice president of product, Guy Rosen, confirming more details in a blog post.
“Attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook’s code that impacted ‘View As’, a feature that lets people see what their own profile looks like to someone else,” he wrote. “This allowed them to steal Facebook access tokens which they could then use to take over people’s accounts.”
He later confirmed that the hack could also impact third-party apps using Facebook log-ins too.
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