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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

UFS presents short course for course-goers from East and Southern Africa

2007-09-21

The Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State (UFS) in co-operation with the United Nations Population Fund, Leadership for Environment and Development: Southern and Eastern Africa (LEAD-SEA) and the National Department of Social Development presented a short course on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein this week. It is the third course of this nature facilitated by the UFS in the past 18 months and was attended by people from various countries in East and Southern Africa. The course focused on the integration of and connection between population, environment and development problems in the context of sustainable development. It is aimed at managers and decision makers in government departments, regional boards and municipalities who are involved in development programmes and frameworks. From the left are: Ms Samah Mohamed Mustafa (Sudan), Ms Nola Redelinghuys (Department of Sociology, UF and course facilitator), Mr Hosea Mulatya (Kenia), Prof. Sosten Chiotha (LEAD, Malawi), and Ms Jane Victor (Seychelles).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

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