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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

Spotlight on Excellence in Teaching and Learning

2012-10-30

30 October 2012

The Centre for Teaching and Learning is hosting the first Excellence in Teaching and Learning Week from 29 October to 1 November 2012 in the Centenary Complex. Some of the top academics at the university will exhibit and present their scholarly contributions in the form of presentations, short videos and electronic posters. These will form part of the academics’ entries for the Innovation awards.

Lunch-hour presentations will be held daily and speakers include Dr Liezel Nel, 2011 winner of the Vice Chancellor Teaching and Learning award, Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice Rector: Academics, Dr Francois Strydom and the UFS101 team.

On Thursday 1 November 2012, five academics will present their Scholarship of Teaching and Learning approach along with their teaching philosophies. This is done in the quest for the Vice Chancellor's Teaching and Learning award.

Personnel are encouraged to visit the Centenary complex to view the quality work of their colleagues. They can also vote for the best video or electronic poster by visiting the CTL portal at https://intranet.ufs.ac.za/sites/ctl

See programme for more details about the presentations throughout the week.

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