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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

State of our campuses: Decisions about the UFS academic calendar

2016-09-22

Resulting from the closure of the campuses of the University of the Free State this week, the following decisions regarding the academic calendar have been taken by the university management:

1. Students who missed tests and/or lectures during the week of 19 to 23 September 2016 are requested to contact their respective faculties as from Monday 26 September 2016. This arrangement is also applicable to students whose tests and/or classes were disrupted on Monday 19 September 2016.

2. All tests and lectures scheduled for the week of 26-30 September 2016 will continue as normal.

3. The recess will take place as scheduled in the official university calendar (i.e. 3-7 October 2016).

4. Exams will continue as scheduled in the official university calendar. The main exam will still take place from 24 October to 12 November 2016, and the additional exam will take place from 14 November to 2 December 2016.

All academic and administrative services will resume on Monday 26 September 2016.

The above arrangements are applicable to all three campuses of the UFS.

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