Warning issued to WhatsApp users over account takeover scam

 

Action Fraud has received many reports relating to a scam that steals access to a WhatsApp user's account.

The scam begins when a criminal gets access to another WhatsApp account which has you listed as a contact.

The criminal, posing as your friend or someone that’s a member of a WhatsApp group you’re in, will then send you seemingly normal messages to try and start a conversation with you.

However, around the same time you will receive a text message from WhatsApp with a six-digit code. This is because the criminal has been trying to login to WhatsApp using your mobile number.

The criminal will claim that they sent you their code by accident and ask you to help them by sending it to them. Once the criminal has this code, they can login to your WhatsApp account and lock you out.

The criminal will then use the same tactic with your WhatsApp contacts in an effort to steal more accounts and use them to perpetrate fraud.

What you need to do: Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account: Tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable.

THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call (phone) the person to confirm their identity.

Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6 digit code you receive via SMS)

You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.

Every report matters: If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, report it to Action Fraud or 0300 123 2040

www.actionfraud.police.uk

WhatsApp's updated privacy policy - still safe to use? Short answer: yes

WhatsApp has published a new FAQ page to its website outlining its stances on user privacy in response to widespread backlash over an upcoming privacy policy update. The core issue relates to WhatsApp’s data-sharing procedures with Facebook, with many users concerned an updated privacy policy going into effect on February 8th will mandate sharing of sensitive profile information with WhatsApp’s parent company.

That isn’t true — the update has nothing to do with consumer chats or profile data, and instead the change is designed to outline how businesses who use WhatsApp for customer service may store logs of its chats on Facebook servers. That’s something the company feels it is required to disclose in its privacy policy, which it’s now doing after previewing the upcoming changes to business chats back in October.

But a wave of misinformation on social media, not helped by Facebook’s abysmal track record on privacy and its reputation for obfuscating changes to its various terms of service agreements, has resulted in a full-blown WhatsApp backlash that has users fleeing to competitors like Signal and Telegram.

www.theverge.com

Downloaded WhatsApp from Google Play recently? Better read this!

Users have spotted an extremely convincing spoofed copy of the popular WhatsApp messenger on Google Play. The fake was downloaded by more than 1 million users, who instead of a messaging tool wound up with a bundle of ads.

According to Hacker News, the fake WhatsApp was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing thanks to an invisible space placed at the end of the developer’s name.

One of the security hounds discussing the case on Reddit pointed out that this was not an isolated incident, even for WhatsApp. A search for “WhatsApp” on Google Play currently shows no fewer than seven spoof apps using slight variations on the developer name “WhatsApp Inc.”, including versions with extra spaces, asterisks, or commas. All of them have four-star review averages, presumably thanks to industrial-scale subversion of Play’s review system.

Use this link to download the actual app.

www.fortune.com

WhatsApp discovers 'targeted' surveillance attack

Hackers were able to remotely install surveillance software on phones and other devices using a major vulnerability in messaging app WhatsApp, it has been confirmed.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, said the attack targeted a "select number" of users and was orchestrated by "an advanced cyber-actor".

A fix was rolled out on Friday. On Monday, WhatsApp urged all of its 1.5 billion users to update their apps as an added precaution.

WhatsApp is a great application for fast secure communication (USUALLY!) - but do make sure that you are running the latest version!

www.bbc.co.uk

WhatsApp might take on Zoom with desktop video conferencing feature

WhatsApp could become a major rival to video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet, according to latest reports from WABetaInfo.

The tech site recently discovered a new feature in an as-yet-unreleased beta version of WhatsApp Web that lets users create a group video call using Facebook Messenger Rooms. 

The feature, which was spotted as one of the shortcuts in the beta’s WhatsApp menus in the 2.2019.6 Web update, would allow users to make calls with up to 50 people - a significant increase from the eight-way video calls which came with WhatsApp’s recent update.

Facebook launched Messenger Rooms at the end of April, in an attempt to capitalise on the heightened demand for video conferencing during the pandemic lockdown. As well as allowing video calls with up to 50 participants and no time limits, the free service also offers a user interface (UI) which lets up to 16 people share the same screen.

www.itpro.co.uk

Slashdot Poll of how Techies send their messages

For years Microsoft Skype was the go to video chat app, but things have moved on. 

The applications that I use most often are: WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Google (Hangouts) Meet, Facebook Messenger, Zoom. 

I prefer WhatsApp for speed, ease of use, & security. Teams is amazing - really feature rich & professional. Meet has brilliant GSuite & Gmail integration. Facebook Messenger is useful for chatting with mates. Zoom is very popular - but I and many other techies & businesses have lingering security concerns.

www.slashdot.org

Bombshell report exposes how Meta relied on scam ad profits to fund AI

Internal documents have revealed that Meta has projected it earns billions from ignoring scam ads that its platforms then targeted to users most likely to click on them.

In a lengthy report, Reuters exposed five years of Meta practices and failures that allowed scammers to take advantage of users of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Documents showed that internally, Meta was hesitant to abruptly remove accounts, even those considered some of the “scammiest scammers,” out of concern that a drop in revenue could diminish resources needed for artificial intelligence growth.

Instead of promptly removing bad actors, Meta allowed “high value accounts” to “accrue more than 500 strikes without Meta shutting them down,” Reuters reported. The more strikes a bad actor accrued, the more Meta could charge to run ads, as Meta’s documents showed the company “penalized” scammers by charging higher ad rates. Meanwhile, Meta acknowledged in documents that its systems helped scammers target users most likely to click on their ads.

www.arstechnica.com

UPDATED 131125 - Which: Leaked Meta documents predicted 10% of its revenue came from scam ads in 2024. The social media giant projected earnings of $16bn from scam and banned adverts on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Video Chat applications - staying in touch during lockdown

The best video chat apps are now more valuable than ever for those looking to stay in touch and connected to friends and family. Fortunately, there's all kinds of software designed to help with that, across desktop and mobile — many of which are free.

We've rounded up a list of the best video chat apps, whether you're on desktop, using an iPhone or Android handset, or gaming on your PC. Some of these apps are better suited for professional cases, like working remotely with colleagues, while others are better for simply chatting. In fact, depending on the smartphone you own, some of this software might already come preinstalled on your device.

Read on for our highlights of the best video chat apps on a multitude of platforms. And if you're skittish about spending money, fear not: every piece of software in this list at least has a free tier - and most of them are totally free, period.

For years Microsoft Skype was the go to video chat app, but things have moved on. The applications that I use most often are: WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Google (Hangouts) Meet, Facebook Messenger, Zoom. 

I prefer WhatsApp for speed, ease of use, & security. Teams is amazing - really feature rich & professional. Meet has brilliant GSuite & Gmail integration. Facebook Messenger is useful for chatting with mates. Zoom is very popular - but I and many other techies & businesses have lingering security concerns.

www.tomsguide.com/

The End of Analogue Phone Lines: 2025 - be advised!

Analogue Phone Service in the UK - It's switching off soon! In 2025, Openreach will be switching off their analogue phone service ("POTS"). If you still have an analogue phone plugged into a regular 'BT' socket on the wall, it will no longer work.  By June 2021 Openreach will already no longer install or accept new analogue line orders for lines at 120 exchanges around the UK, with that number increasing over time.

For some people, this will make no difference at all. Many of us only have a landline analogue phone service because we are 'forced to' in order to have DSL service - you have to have an analogue line before your ISP will provide broadband on that line.

According to Ofcom, only 5% of household do not have mobile phones however, that doesn't mean that every member of the other 95% have a mobile phone or that they don't still need their fixed line.

Those who do use their landline now, given the choice of saving a little line rental subscription in the future, might welcome this change. However, even with analogue phone service discontinued, it's unlikely you will actually see any reduction in line rental as the copper line still needs to be provided for broadband, and that's the costly part for Openreach - the actual phone service is a revenue generator.  If line rental is combined with your broadband ISP bill, you won't get a separate bill from BT.

Many people in the UK do not use a mobile phone either 'at all' or for most of their calls. Many don't have broadband or any other digital communication service. Even of those who do, there are many people who like the comfort of a phone line which continues to work even during a power cut or other emergency. Analogue phone lines are powered from the exchange which normally has battery or generator backups.  

There are many other devices still relying on analogue lines. Most of those will not be compatible with VoIP so will have to be replaced by pure IP solutions. Openreach are urging suppliers and service providers to upgrade their systems or test them on the new network provisions.

VoIP is the method of using IP networks - your Internet connection - to carry voice calls. It's what Skype, DrayTEL, WhatsApp and other such services use for voice calls and is also how most modern businesses' phones are now connected. Under Openreach's analogue switch-off plan, VoIP will be used to replace all analogue voice services.

Read more & be prepared: www.draytek.co.uk

Google says hackers have put ‘monitoring implants’ in iPhones for years

An unprecedented iPhone hacking operation, which attacked “thousands of users a week” until it was disrupted in January, has been revealed by researchers at Google’s external security team.

The operation, which lasted two and a half years, used a small collection of hacked websites to deliver malware on to the iPhones of visitors. Users were compromised simply by visiting the sites: no interaction was necessary, and some of the methods used by the hackers affected even fully up-to-date phones.

Once hacked, the user’s deepest secrets were exposed to the attackers. Their location was uploaded every minute; their device’s keychain, containing all their passwords, was uploaded, as were their chat histories on popular apps including WhatsApp, Telegram and iMessage, their address book, and their Gmail database.

www.theguardian.com

Nigeria’s Christians are under attack, but does the West care?

 

The scene is medieval in its horror: a woman stoned, beaten and set on fire by a mob shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. But this didn't happen hundreds of years ago: it took place a week ago in Nigeria. The victim was a Christian student named Deborah Samuel, from Sokoto in the north west of the country. Samuel's 'crime', for which she paid with her life, was to have allegedly posted a ‘blasphemous’ comment on a WhatsApp group against the prophet Mohammed.

Even in a nation riddled by decades of ethnic and religious conflict where thousands of Christians have been killed, the incident has sparked uproar. But this outrage has mostly been confined to Nigeria itself; much of the Western world turns a blind eye to the horrors unfolding in Africa.

In the last year, more Christians have been killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world combined. In 2021, at least 6,000 Christians died for their religion; eight in ten were Nigerians, often at the hands of jihadists. Read more...

www.spectator.co.uk

You will soon be able to send texts from your PC with Android Messages

Google has announced that the latest update to its Android Messages app lets you send and receive texts from your computer.

The new feature is being rolled out over the next week(...), and it works in much the same as WhatsApp Web. To get started, go to messages.android.com in your web browser where a QR code will appear. Using the Android Messages app on your phone, tap the three-dot menu and select “Messages for web” before scanning the QR code.

Before signing into the Android Messages website, you’ll also notice an option you can enable to “Remember this computer”, which is handy if you don’t want to have to sign in every time you use it.

At the time of writing, we didn’t have the option in the Android Messages app to select “Messages for Web”, so we haven’t been able to try it out for ourselves yet, but it is expected to roll out more widely over the coming weeks.

www.alphr.com