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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

Athletics SA hosts cross-country championships at our university

2011-09-28

Zola Budd
Photo: Johan Roux

According to Mr DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport at our university, Athletics South Africa’s Cross Country-Championships, which was hosted on our Bloemfontein Campus, was a great success. Not only did a record number of 3 368 athletes register for the championships, but a record number of spectators – between 10 000 and 12 000 – also attended.

Well-known former Kovsie athlete, Zola Budd, who was the World Cross-Country Champion in 1985 and 1986, gave an outstanding performance at this event and triumphed as the overall winner in the 30-70 age group. What made her performance even more remarkable was her time of 14:37 in the 4 km race, which was faster than any of the girls in the 14-17 age group.

Kovsie student, Danel Prinsloo, also gave a good performance by finishing 6th out of 79 athletes in the junior women’s category. Danel, Charity Moletsane and Jessica Stevens (also from the UFS), won the bronze medal in the junior women’s team competition.
Khothatso Mokone obtained a 17th place (out of 70 athletes) in the senior men’s division. He also contributed to the Free State’s bronze medal in the 12 km team competition.

Other Kovsie athletes who contributed to the team competition medals for the Free State were Marili du Buisson, who won a bronze medal in the 4 km race for women under 21, and Maryna Swanepoel and Nelmaré Loubser, who both received bronze medals in the senior women’s 8 km race.

Danie Cronjé, former Kovsie and current Chairperson of the Kovsie Athletics Club, obtained a gold medal by winning the 8 km race for men aged 55-59 in a time of 30:37.

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