How to prevent a WhatsApp account from being hacked: Kaspersky recommendations

A USER'S messaging app account might be of interest not only to jealous spouses and nosy coworkers, but also to cyber- criminals. Stolen WhatsApp accounts are used for various types of criminal activity, ranging from spam distribution to sophisticated scam schemes.

- ASHLEY LECHMAN

Cybercriminals constantly look for WhatsApp accounts and use various methods to gain access to them.

There are two ways cybercriminals can gain control of a WhatsApp account: they can add another device to an existing account using the "Linked devices" feature, or they can re-register the account on their own device as if the user had bought a new phone.

In the first case, the user continues to use WhatsApp as usual, but the criminals also have access to all recent conversations. In the second case, the user loses access to their personal account.

When trying to log in, WhatsApp notifies him that the account is already in use on another device, and the attackers can then control the account but not the past conversations.

“Messengers are a private space, as they often contain personal information about our lives and relationships with family and friends. They can also contain information about work and, in some cases, confidential information.