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Don’t get hacked; protect your WhatsApp account

08 October 2020 Photo Istock

Whatsapp security — It is important to be safe when using WhatsApp. Do not leave your phone unattended when you are not close by.

There are 2 billion WhatsApp users in the world, and 1,6 billion WhatsApp users access their accounts on a daily basis.

However, it is important to also be safe when using this popular communication tool.

According to Cobus van Jaarsveld, Assistant Director: Threat Detection, Investigations and Liaison in Protection Services, it does happen that people’s WhatsApp accounts get hacked; this is a serious violation of privacy.

“It means a third party now has unlimited access to your personal chats, information, media – and in some instances, they can also masquerade as you by deleting your chats, replying to your chats, and committing crimes. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of how harmful it can be to get hacked,” says Van Jaarsveld.

He adds: “Hackers can access your WhatsApp data by various means, e.g. via WhatsApp web or registering your number on another device.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) provided the following tips to prevent one’s WhatsApp from getting hacked:

• Log out from all computers that you see in the list under WhatsApp Web. This will stop hackers from further reading your chats. However, this should be done every time you use WhatsApp web.
• Do not leave your phone unattended when you are out.
• Lock all your apps to prevent unknown people from accessing your apps.
• Do not connect your phone to unknown Wi-Fi connections, as hackers can also use the unique MAC address to access all your WhatsApp chats.
• In case your WhatsApp has already been hacked, deactivate your account by emailing support@whatsapp.com. Your account will be automatically deleted if not accessed for 30 days.
• Enable two-step verification under your WhatsApp account settings. This will add an extra layer of security to the app.
• Lock WhatsApp. It is imperative to have the AppLocker that will help you lock your WhatsApp. While WhatsApp does not offer this application per se, you can download it and the app will facilitate the use of your WhatsApp with a password or PIN. This will help to prevent anyone who has access to your phone from accessing your WhatsApp account, since they will require a password to open it.

News Archive

Meet our Council: Mr Rantooa Moji – passionate about the welfare of workers

2017-07-07

Mr Rantooa Moji, member of the UFS Council
Photo: Stephen Collett

Mr Rantooa Moji has recently joined the UFS Council by virtue of being chairperson of the university’s Institutional Forum (IF). The IF’s function is to advise Council in accordance with the Higher Education Act and UFS Statute.

Born and bred in Qwaqwa, Mr Moji is a junior lecturer in Chemistry at the university. He completed his BSc (Hons) in Chemistry at the then UNIN (Qwaqwa), which is now part of the UFS. He also completed an MA (HES) at the University of the Free State.

Fascinated with Chemistry
“I pursued science mainly due to my school background, but I also have a keen interest in the subject. The diverse applications of Chemistry in daily life have always fascinated me and that is why I chose to pursue it,” he says.

During his postgraduate studies at the UFS, Moji was exposed to education and management trends in higher education. He has subsequently become involved with labour relations issues through the personnel union Nehawu. He says he has a passion for the welfare of workers and therefore fulfils a number of roles in the union, including representing members in disciplinary and grievance hearings, being part of the negotiations team, and representing the union on a number of institutional committees, such as the Health Care Committee.

Passion for worker’s welfare
Says Mr Moji: “I feel that my experience as an academic and a union activist puts me in good stead to ensure that the views and aspirations of employees are taken into account in the Council’s deliberations and decision-making.”

Mr Moji is married, with two daughters and one son.

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