Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

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

Almost there…

2012-11-12

First-year students Lindokuhle Sibisi, Zamokuhle Zule and Tabisa Tandathu are looking forward to start their vacation. The last date for exams is 17 November 2012 and students writing the additional opportunity exams will still be on our Campuses until 8 December.
Photo: Amanda Tongha
12 November 2012

The Year-end exams will come to an end this week, with more Kovsie students returning home to start their vacation. The final date for exams is 17 November 2012. Students who were unable to write at the first opportunity due to illness or other obligations, as well as those wanting to improve their marks, will have another opportunity with the supplementary opportunity exams starting on 26 November 2012. The final date for these exams is 8 December 2012.

Ian Hartley, a third-year student in Social Sciences, is one of the students who are still on the Bloemfontein Campus. Ian writes his final paper on Friday and says he is looking forward to the holidays. He will leave for Port Elizabeth in December to attend the South African Universities’ cricket tournament.

Ntheboheng Mopeli is also still on Campus. The third-year LLB student will write her two final papers this week.

Tabisa Tandathu, a first-year BSc student, wrote her final paper this week and will still be on Campus for another week before returning to her home town in the Eastern Cape. “I look forward to spending time with my family.”

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept