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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

Grants for three NRF chairs

2012-02-16

Research at our university got a significant boost this week with the awarding of three research chairs by the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) of the National Research Foundation.

The chairs were awarded in the fields of solid-state luminescent and advanced materials, higher education in human development and disease resistance in field crops. The grants for the chairs amount to R7.5 million per year for the next ten years.

Prof. Frans Swanepoel, Director: Research Development , says receiving these chairs in a highly competitive environment is a significant achievement. Our university received the same number of chairs as the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of the Witwatersrand.

The SARChl received 406 applications from 22 universities for 2011/2012. Following 25 panel meetings, 60 applicants were successful and were awarded chairs.

The UFS chairs will probably be in operation by September of this year.

Prof. Swanepoel says the SARChl’s future calls for applications will create the opportunity to increase the number of chairs at our university.

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