With the consistent popularizing of the various social media platforms, it is not surprising that the rates of hackers surrounding have proliferated alongside. It is quite hard to deduce the methods used by these hackers but the new WhatsApp Voicemail Scam is yet another addition to the list of hacking methods in recent times.
Following the recent Facebook security breach, there has also been a new one going around with WhatsApp. This new hacking method can actually give the hackers direct access to your account. In one of the blog posts made by Naked Security, it was mentioned that the most common way by which these hackers are gaining access to the same is through the weakly secure voicemail inboxes.
The attack using this mode was quite prevalent in Israel following which the National Cyber Security Authority of Israel issued a nationwide warning regarding the same. The process of hack primarily roots by installing the application of WhatsApp on the devices using a legitimate phone number. In order to verify the number, WhatsApp sends in a six digit security code using a phone call instead of the standard text message option.
For a full proof approach to the process, the hackers tend to seed their plan during the night time when the victim is possibly asleep. As the user doesn’t necessarily pick up the call during that time, the call goes to their voicemail.
This is where the hackers get their leeway and if you are someone with a very weak voicemail password, something that is generic and set by the telecommunications company, it is where the hacks hack into the voicemail and trace the 6-digit verification code sent in by WhatsApp.
The hacker simply punches in the code and then gain access to the victim’s complete WhatsApp account. To make the things even worse, the hackers are not just stopping there but setting up their own two-step authentication process which requires the users to re-enter PIN code when they want to gain access to their account.
What this results into is the fact that the owner of the account ends up losing control and authority over their own account. The first attack concerning the WhatsApp Voicemail Scam was noted by Ran Bar-Zik who is a web developer at Oath but the same is currently on the rise and more possible attacks are likely to happen or have happened already.
The officials are highly recommending switching on the two-step authentication and verification to ensure that there is extra security concerning the same. The researchers from Sophos mentioned that using the application’s 2FA is something that quite helps in mitigation of the risks because of the fact that the apps don’t legit rely on communications associated with the phone numbers.
For doing to the same with WhatsApp, simply click on Account and then go to the Two-step Verification and then enable the same. Not just that, in order to mitigate the problem associated with the WhatsApp Voicemail Scam, the experts are suggesting people to install a stronger password on their voicemail rather the generic ones.
-Somapika Dutta
