Whatsapp is a popular social media communication platform, which is easy to set up and hack if measures are not taken to protect WhatsApp from being hacked.

Once you notice your WhatsApp has been hacked, notify family members, friends, WhatsApp contacts and groups because the hacker can impersonate you via chat and solicit financial aid with potential loss of valuable funds.

No method or Whatsapp feature can protect WhatsApp from hackers 100%. However, if we are careful we can avoid being hacked.

In this article, we will share steps to protect your WhatsApp from being hacked and what to do if your WhatsApp account is hacked.

How to Protect Whatsapp From Being Hacked

The following are measures that will protect WhatsApp from being hacked.

1. Secure your WhatsApp account with two-factor authentication (2FA)

Whatsapp has features that can help you add a second layer of security to your WhatsApp messenger.

Two-step verification(two-factor authentication) is a security feature on WhatsApp and other social media platforms that can add a layer of security to social media handles.

How to set two-factor verification on WhatsApp

To protect WhatsApp from being hacked via two-step verification follow the steps below:

• Open WhatsApp on your device and tap the three dots menu on the top right of your screen.

• Click on Settings, then on Account and select Two-step verification.

• Click Enable and then choose your preferred Six-digit PIN. You will be required to enter the PIN twice to confirm.

Note: The PIN should not be easy to guess and should not include your name, birthday, birth year or repeating sequence such as 123456, 111111 and so on.

The six-digit PIN should contain special characters, numbers and upper and lower case characters.

• Add a recovery Email address that can be used to reset your WhatsApp PIN in case you forgot your PIN. However, this feature though recommended is optional.

• Click Done and you have successfully secured your account by activating two-step verification.

2. Never share WhatsApp code with anyone

Whenever you register your phone number with WhatsApp, WhatsApp will send a six-digit number (OTP) to your Whatsapp number via SMS to authenticate the person making the request.

This six-digit number (OTP) will also be generated and sent to you whenever a hacker tries to re-register your Whatsapp number on another device. The hacker will trick you into sending the six-digit number (OTP) to him or her (social hacking).

Once you send the number (OTP) to the hacker, the hacker will immediately take over your WhatsApp account and will try to defraud your contacts and WhatsApp group members by pretending to be you and soliciting help via WhatsApp chat.

As a rule, don’t ever share any OTP (one-time password) with anyone especially if you did not initiate the request for the OTP. Whenever you share your OTP you risk being hacked with direct and indirect unpleasant consequences.

To protect Whatsapp from being hacked. You should never disclose your Whatsapp OTP to anyone. WhatsApp will never ask you for your PIN, OTP or other details via email, SMS, phone call, chat or any other communication channel.

3. Log out of Whatsapp Web

WhatsApp can be used on PCs, laptops, tablets and other devices by scanning a QR code from your phone.

If your PC, laptop and other devices are shared, then it is pertinent you log out WhatsApp from these devices after using them, to avoid unauthorised access to your WhatsApp account.

To prevent your WhatsApp from being hacked. It is best to avoid logging in from shared devices.

4. Dont click on any suspicious link

Your WhatsApp can be hacked by clicking on suspicious links, sent by random WhatsApp users or you may be defrauded by releasing sensitive information or funds inadvertently to your Whatsapp contacts which have been hacked.

It is common these days for hackers to take over your friends or family members’ WhatsApp accounts and then send messages to you or other WhatsApp contacts requesting sensitive information or financial assistance usually with a promise to pay back soon.

Sometimes they may even call you with random numbers, having gotten your contact details and other data from the hacked WhatsApp number requesting the six-digit number(OTP) WhatsApp sent to you via SMS to hack your WhatsApp also.

To avoid being defrauded by WhatsApp hackers avoid sending sensitive information or responding to requests for financial assistance on WhatsApp especially making payments to unknown bank account details or sending financial aid via other channels without calling the contact to confirm their identity.

Note: The call to confirm a request for help/assistance from a WhatsApp contact, should not be through a WhatsApp call, but through a regular call, because the WhatsApp account may have been hacked.

If a random WhatsApp user or hacked WhatsApp line keeps sending suspicious or deceptive WhatsApp messages to you, you can report the WhatsApp line and or block the WhatsApp line.

How to Block a WhatsApp User

To report/block a WhatsApp user follow the steps below:

• Open WhatsApp on your device

• Identify and click on the Whatsapp contact you want to report/block

• Click on the three menu buttons on the top right corner of your screen

• Click on More

• Then click on Report and or Block.

5. Review your Whatsapp privacy setting

Whatsapp supports various privacy options/ settings. To prevent your WhatsApp from being hacked you can choose the people that can see your WhatsApp profile picture, status and other details.

Change your WhatsApp privacy setting to contact only, meaning only the contacts(phone numbers) saved on your device will see your WhatsApp details.

How to change your privacy settings on WhatsApp

To secure your Whatsapp from being hacked via privacy settings follow the steps below:

• Open WhatsApp on your device

• Click on the three menu button

• Click on Settings

• Click on Privacy, then click on the following (Last seen and online, Profile photo, About, and Status)and select from the options to choose who sees your WhatsApp personal information.

6. Delete your Whatsapp account whenever your device is stolen or misplaced

Losing phones or devices is not uncommon nowadays, however, whenever you lose your device to prevent your Whatsapp from being hacked, you can delete your Whatsapp account before someone accesses it and all the data therein.

How to delete your Whatsapp account

To delete your Whatsapp account follow the steps below:

• Open Whatsapp on another device

• Click on the three menu button

• Click on setting

• Click on Account

• Click on Delete my account

• Type the phone number in the text box and click Delete my account

7. Lock WhatsApp

You can enable WhatsApp screen lock to prevent unauthorised access to your WhatsApp when you give your device to other people to use.

How to lock WhatsApp on Andriod

To lock the WhatsApp screen follow the steps below:

• Open WhatsApp and click on the three-menu button

• Click on setting

• Click on Privacy

• Then scroll down to Fingerprint lock, enable it and choose the preferred time from the options provided

8. Update WhatsApp regularly

WhatsApp, like other mobile apps, usually release newer versions at intervals. These newer versions come with extra features and better security. Thus to secure WhatsApp from hackers it is pertinent to always update to the latest version of WhatsApp, as the older version may be more vulnerable to hacking.

9. Check for unauthorized WhatsApp login

Unauthorised access to WhatsApp messenger can occur when we leave our device unattended or use WhatsApp web, especially on shared computers such as office computers.

Any unauthorised access to WhatsApp can lead to hacking via unauthorised linking of your account to a computer and other devices. To avoid this we should regularly check our WhatsApp to see if it is linked to any unknown computer or device. Also, WhatsApp web users should always endeavour to log out especially when using a shared computer or device.

10. Use genuine WhatsApp

Independent developers produce some non-original WhatsApp applications like GB WhatsApp and WhatsApp Plus. For personal reasons, some people knowingly prefer these non-regular WhatsApp, however, these non-original versions may be prone to hacking.

It is safer to download the original WhatsApp from the Google Play Store, Apple Store or WhatsApp website.

How to Recover a Hacked WhatsApp

If your WhatsApp is hacked, you can retrieve it back via the following steps

• Uninstall the WhatsApp app from your phone or device.
• Go to the Play Store or Apple Store to re-download the WhatsApp App.
• Launch the app with the same phone number that was hacked. Make sure you have the SIM card of the hacked Whatsapp number.
• A six-digit code will be sent to your phone number via SMS by WhatsApp. Enter the six-digit code in the text box provided. This logs you into your Whatsapp account and automatically logs out the hacker.
• Set up a two-step verification.

Note: If you are asked to provide a two-step verification code when you did not set up one, it means the hacker must have set up a two-step verification code. Since you do not have this code, you have to wait for 7 days to elapse before you can sign in without the two-step verification code.

Note: Remember the hacker was automatically logged out when you re-registered the Whatsapp with the 6-digit SMS code Whatsapp sent to you. Thus the hacker has no access to your WhatsApp account and cannot access it within the period.

If the above steps fail, then the next step is to deactivate your WhatsApp account by sending an email to WhatsApp.

How to deactivate a WhatsApp account

To deactivate your WhatsApp account follow the steps below

1. use any email client such as Gmail or Yahoo to send an email to support@whatsapp.com
2. The Subject of the email should be: “Please deactivate my account”
3. In the body of the email write: “Lost/stolen or hacked account. Please deactivate my account (write your phone number in international format).

How to remove a hacker from a Whatsapp group

Once you confirm that a WhatsApp number in your Whatsapp group has been hacked, identify the WhatsApp number click on the Whatsapp number and then click on remove.

How to Know if Your WhatsApp is Hacked

How will you know if your WhatsApp has been hacked? If your WhatsApp is hacked you will lose access to the WhatsApp account and will not be able to chat or post anything via the hacked WhatsApp account.

Also, your contacts on WhatsApp or WhatsApp group members may call to complain about unusual posts or requests for financial assistance from your WhatsApp.

If you experience the above or other unusual behaviour on your Whatsapp account then your Whatsapp has been hacked.

Conclusion

Any device, social media handle or account can be hacked, however, the measures stated above will protect your Whatsapp from being hacked.

Be wary of anyone seeking financial assistance via WhatsApp chat, and always confirm their identity via alternative means (not WhatsApp calls/chats) before lending any economic aid to avoid being defrauded.

To protect Whatsapp from being hacked. You should never disclose your Whatsapp OTP to anyone. WhatsApp will never ask you for your PIN, OTP or other details via email, SMS, phone call, chat or any other communication channel.