A serious threat is looming over your WhatsApp: Government warning and ways to protect yourself – learn everything

According to the warning issued, hackers can access your WhatsApp on their devices without an OTP or authentication and steal your secret and private data.

WhatsApp GhostPairing Scam: Cybercriminals are targeting your WhatsApp account, and the government has issued a warning for WhatsApp users. A government agency, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has alerted users about this, and the information that has emerged is shocking. It has been revealed that cybercriminals or hackers can hack your WhatsApp account and access it on their devices. This is known as the GhostPairing scam.

What is CERT-In's warning?

The warning issued by CERT-In, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, alerts users that their WhatsApp can be hacked through GhostPairing without an OTP. After this, hackers can access your WhatsApp on their devices without an OTP or authentication and steal your secret and private data.

How does GhostPairing work?

It starts with a message from a contact you know, containing a link. When you try to view the message, it asks for your number for verification. As soon as users click on this link, their WhatsApp becomes accessible to hackers without any authentication or OTP. This verification process runs in the backend, and the user's WhatsApp is logged in on the hacker's device.

How to protect yourself from the GhostPairing threat?

Users need to keep a few things in mind. Even if the link comes from a known contact, if it asks for your number for verification, be cautious and call that contact to confirm whether they actually sent the link. Do not click on that link under any circumstances, otherwise, your account is at risk of being hacked.

You can check where your WhatsApp account is logged in by going to the Linked Devices feature in WhatsApp settings. If you see a login from a location where you haven't logged in, immediately log out to prevent anyone else from accessing your WhatsApp account.

Do not fall for any kind of tempting messages, such as those claiming you've won a lottery, a car, or any other luxury item, even if they come from contacts you know.

Do not blindly trust messages that seem genuine, such as those related to courier services, banking services, social engineering, customer care, or calls.  Never click on any message or link without double-checking its authenticity.