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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

Inaugural lecture: Microbial interaction in foods

2005-09-06

Prof Bennie Viljoen from the Department of Microbial- Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS) will deliver his inaugural lecture on Wednesday, 7 September 2005 at 19:00 in the CR Swart Auditorium on campus.

The topic of the lecture is “Microbial interaction in foods: Emphasis on yeasts”.

Prof Viljoen was appointed as lecturer in the Department of Food Science at the UFS in 1989. He was promoted to senior lecturer (1994), associate professor (1997) and professor (2004) in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology.

Prof Viljoen is a NRF B-evaluated scientist, author or co-author of 63 papers in accredited professional journals and seven chapters in scientific books. He contributed to 31 international congresses; four as keynote speaker and eight on invitation, as well as 84 national conference papers. He successfully guided eight Ph D and 20 M Sc students and currently supervises for six Ph D and four M Sc students. He serves on the International Dairy Federation, the International Commission of Food Mycology and the editorial board of international journals. His research focuses on food microbiology, specialising on yeasts.

For any enquiries, please contact Ms Joan Nel at (051) 401-9301.

Media release
Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel: (051) 401-2584
   Cell: 083 645 2454
   E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 September 2005

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