WhatsApp account hacked? How to spot it, steps to get it back and security tips

WhatsApp

Meta-owned instant messaging app WhatsApp is one of the most widely used instant messaging apps in the world. With the recent updates, the messaging platform has become better in terms of features, function and security. So much so, that people have started using it for both personal and professional communications. This has grabbed the attention of hackers and led to an increase in cases of WhatsApp accounts getting hacked in recent years.

Not only this, scammers too are using techniques like social engineering, web hacking, spyware tools and call forwarding features to steal sensitive information which may lead to financial scams.

We look at the important signs that your WhatsApp account has been hacked. In addition, there are also some tips and tricks to recover your hacked account.

WhatsApp account hacked signs

There are a couple of things that you need to pay attention to.

Strange activities: Look for some strange activities from your account. For instance, you can check for messages from unknown contacts, unread messages marked as read, calls from random numbers or receiving random verification codes.

Profile details changed: If a WhatsApp account is hacked, there can be some change in profile details like the profile picture has changed, the status has changed. This allows hackers to impersonate someone else for the scam.

New login: You can also see that your account has been logged in to some other device without your knowledge. This is a major warning for accounts getting hacked that you should pay attention to.

The phone starts running slow: Sometimes hackers install a malware app in the phone to hack the account or steal information. If you find your phone running slow out of nowhere, it can be a sign that your phone is affected by a virus or malware.

How to get your account back?

The most important aspect of taking back your WhatsApp account is to start the registration process again. Install WhatsApp on a different device, enter your phone number and then register from scratch by entering the six-digit code received on your phone via SMS or call.

This will make sure that your account is only registered to one device as doing this will ensure that all the other instances of that particular account get logged out automatically.

If your account has 2FA enabled, you might need to enter it for verification purposes.

Do note that doing this won’t affect your backup. But you may lose some chats and messages, as it will restore data only from the most recent backup.

Another important thing to know is if you don’t know your 2FA PIN, then hackers must have enabled it from their end. In this case, you will need at least 7 days to reclaim your account and sign in without the PIN.

What to do if your WhatsApp account gets hacked?

There are a few things that you should do in case you find yourself in this situation.

Remove fake messages

Delete all the messages that do not belong to you or that hackers have sent to someone.

Inform your friends and family

Use other social media platforms to inform your friends and family and tell them not to fall into the hackers’ trap.

Scan for malware

Use a malware scanning tool or an antivirus app to scan the entire phone for viruses or malware that hackers may have installed in the phone to get access to your account. Remove them, if found.

How to secure your account to prevent future incidents?

Doing these isn’t enough. It is also important to take necessary actions to prevent such things from happening in the future.

Enable Two-factor authentication

The first thing you should do is enable two-factor authentication for your WhatsApp account. This requires an additional PIN to login into your account and make sure you remember the PIN, else you’ll have to wait at least 7 days to access your account without the PIN.

Improve your privacy settings

Strengthening your privacy settings can prevent this from happening. Go to Settings → Account → Privacy and set Profile Photo and other information to My Contacts.

Encrypt your backup

This won’t save your account from getting hacked but will prevent hackers from restoring your data in case they manage to get a hang of your backup data.