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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

Transport service to shuttle Kovsies to and fro

2012-01-30

Our university, in collaboration with taxis in Bloemfontein, currently offers a scheduled minibus-taxi transport service to students living in the Universitas and Brandwag areas. The pilot project, which will run from January 2012 to June 2012, officially kicked off on Monday 16 January 2012. During this period it will be monitored how many students make use of the service.

The cost is R6 per trip, in other words, R6 to an address in Universitas/Brandwag and again R6 back to the university. Students can buy coupons for the service at the Thakaneng Bridge on our Bloemfontein Campus.

The minibus-taxi service will operate on weekdays (Mondays to Fridays), excluding public holidays and normal UFS holiday periods. All services shall depart from the taxi facility at the DF Malherbe Drive gate on our Bloemfontein Campus, from where it shall follow a circular route and return to the same spot again.

Route U will travel: DF Malherbe Drive/ Wynand Mouton Drive/ De Bruyn Street/ Paul Kruger Avenue, back to DF Malherbe Drive.

Route B will travel: DF Malherbe Drive/ Nelson Mandela Drive/ Furstenburg Road/ Melville Drive/ Nelson Mandela Drive and back to DF Malherbe Drive.

Route	Departure time	Arrive back at the UFS
U	19:10	19:45
B	19:10	19:45
U	20:10	20:45
B	20:10	20:45
U	21:10	21:45
B	21:10	21:45
U	22:10	22:45
B	22:10	22:45

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