How your WhatsApp is stolen using a QR code: what to do and how to avoid it?

Specialists have now warned of a new WhatsApp Scam where cybercriminals and hackers only need a QR code to steal all your information and contacts.

It is well known that the WhatsApp account theft and other social networks is becoming more and more common, for that reason here we tell you how it works and what you should do to protect yourself.

How can your WhatsApp account be stolen using a QR code?

Nowadays, all you need to know to get to know someone is to take a look at their social media accounts. Within these channels we store photos, videos, passwords, memories with friends and much more.

This type of information is extremely attractive to cybercriminals. That is why they seek to attack their victims through acts of hacking, identity theft or account hijacking and emails.

WhatsApp is an application that cares a lot about the security and privacy of its users. For this reason, it has implemented measures such as end-to-end encryption, which ensures that no message is viewed outside of our account.

However, the above does not prevent us from falling into scams or deceptive tricks that seek to obtain our private information and one of them is the QRLJacking code.

What is QRLJacking code, new scam on WhatsApp?

According to McAfee, QRLJacking “It is an attack in which cybercriminals take advantage of users’ trust in QR codes to redirect them to malicious websites or to steal personal information.”

Specialists point out that this technique is based on the identity fraud and can have serious consequences for unsuspecting users, for example:

• Loss of personal dataincluding passwords, credit card numbers and personally identifiable information.
• Phishing, meaning that attackers can impersonate their victims and carry out fraudulent activities in her name.
• Account theftuse the information obtained through QRLJacking to access users’ online accounts and carry out unauthorized transactions.

How to prevent your WhatsApp account from being stolen with a QR code?

To maintain maximum security, WhatsApp has several recommendations on its official website:

• Enable two-step verification.
• Check linked devices regularly.
• Set an authentication PIN.

For its partMcAfee ssuggests protecting ourselves from QR code kidnapping or QRLJacking with the following measures:

• Verify that the pages you enter are secure.
• Check that the WiFi network is trusted by your device.
• Do not open suspicious pages or links.
• If you suspect you have fallen for a scam, close your accounts and change your password.
• Do not scan QR codes from unofficial websites and pages.

Read here: WhatsApp removes passwords on iPhone; this is how “Passkeys” work

Related