KOMPAS.com – WhatsApp is still a hot topic of conversation after making various attempts to hook its users again.
Previously, many WhatsApp users began to switch to other chat applications such as Signal and Telegram.
The exodus came after WhatsApp released a number of new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy updates on its platform.
Also read: 3 WhatsApp’s Efforts When Users Start Left, from Clarification to Posting Ads in Newspapers
Enable additional security
It is known, the WhatsApp service is very easy to operate. However, this easy operation process can also be prone to abuse if the user is not careful.
Fortunately, the way to activate additional security on a WhatsApp user account is also quite easy, meaning that you won’t lose your account if the six-digit activation code is activated.
This security code must be stored and not sent to anyone else, because it is usually used to do so hacking WhatsApp account.
Also read: 5 Facts about the Appearance of WhatsApp Notifications on User Status
Six digit code
Reporting from The Verge, (23/1/2021), by enabling extra security or two stages of protection, it is considered a good idea to protect your WhatsApp account.
When you want to activate extra security, usually users will get a six digit number via SMS.
This number should not be known by anyone, because it is not just any code. These six numbers are codes sent by WhatsApp to your mobile number via SMS to be associated with your WhatsApp account.
If you share this number, you are indirectly allowing hackers to enter and control your WhatsApp account.
The impact of the WhatsApp account breach, hackers will have control over the victim’s account. He can send messages to any contact who is in the same group chat with him.
Take over the WhatsApp account
In theory, taking over your WhatsApp account should be a fairly easy situation to resolve. That is, just enter your phone number into the application and WhatsApp will send you another six digit code.
The problem is that hackers can spam your number with the wrong set of six-digit codes, leaving you locked out of your account for up to 12 hours.
Then, if you haven’t set up a PIN yourself, this leaves hackers free to set up one of their own in your account, then locks you totally for seven days.
Also read: Crowded about WA Status, What is the Privacy Policy on WhatsApp?
How to prevent hackers from taking over your WhatsApp account
1. Never share your six digit WhatsApp code with anyone, including your parents, friends or siblings.
Because, there is no valid reason to ask for the code that WhatsApp sends to you via SMS, so don’t even think about sharing it.
2. If the worst happens then the PIN manager will act as another barrier to stop someone from getting into your account, it prevents any hacks / bad things from happening to you.
Also read: Stupid WhatsApp Notification Appears on User Status, What’s Up?
How to secure a WhatsApp account?
For extra protection, we recommend that you activate a six-digit PIN. The methods include:
1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the three dots icon located at the top right of the screen
2. Press “Settings”, then select “Account”, then select ” Two-step verification“
3. Press “Activate”, then select your six-digit PIN.
4. Next, there is an option to add a WhatsApp user’s email address. This step is not mandatory.
However, if the user wants to add an email address, then this action can allow the WhatsApp user during the account recovery process, for example, he forgot his PIN.
WhatsApp will periodically ask for your PIN when you use it so that users don’t forget it easily, but it is recommended that WhatsApp users have a backup.
Quoted from Forbes, (29/3/2020), WhatsApp says that “when you activate two-step verification, every attempt to verify your phone number on WhatsApp must be accompanied by the six-digit PIN that you created using this feature. “
In other words, hacks won’t work.
Also read: WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, Which Is Safer for Users?
What if I become a victim of a hack?
Meanwhile, cybersecurity expert Zak Doffman explains, if you fall victim to this hack, all you have to do is reinstall your WhasApp and request a new verification code.
Because, this action will reset the application on your phone.
It may take some time for this process to work.
“I have received reports of users not being able to easily recover hijacked accounts, although it is only a matter of time,” said Doffman.
After you restore your WhatsApp account, immediately prepare a PIN. That way, you won’t fall victim to being hacked twice.
Also read: Besides Status, Here Are 8 New Features of WhatsApp 2021
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