Reinstal WhatsApp if you get hacked: TRA
dubai — With an increase in the number of attempts to hack WhatsApp, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the UAE has issued an advisory on what residents should do if they get hacked, including deleting and reinstalling the app.
The TRA had issued several warnings in the past on their Twitter account on what steps residents should take if their WhatsApp, the world’s most popular chat application, gets hacked.
“Attempt to remove and reinstall WhatsApp in different times of the day. Inform relatives and friends about the hacking and urge them not to respond to any messages coming from your number on WhatsApp. Retry reinstalling WhatsApp every day,” some of the tips from the TRA on Twitter said. Khaleej Times had reported previously of a WhatsApp scam, in which users lost access to their accounts in Singapore after hackers took over. The scammers would send messages requesting WhatsApp account verification codes to victims from contacts whose accounts that were already compromised.
As technology has brought prosperity and progress to the lives of millions of people, it has led to serious security risks. There is no sign these risks will diminish.” Majeed Al Mesmar, acting director-general, TRA
In other scams overseas, hacked accounts also tried to luring in the victim’s contact into buying gifts and sending passwords of credit cards.
Majeed Al Mesmar, acting director-general of the TRA, has been quoted last year by Khaleej
Times, where he said cybersecurity
is one of the most pressing issues in this day and age.
“Cybersecurity is one of the most important concerns of our age. We live in an era that is completely different from all in the past, as advanced technologies such as smartphones have entered various aspects of our lives. Smart cities and the IoT (Internet of Things) are imminent,” he said.
“As technology has brought prosperity and progress to the lives of millions of people, it has led to serious security risks. There is no sign these risks will diminish.”
Al Mesmar had pointed out that statistics indicate that cybercrimes are expected to cost the world $6 trillion by 2021, compared to $3 trillion in 2016.