Through malicious apps and programs hackers can spy on our chats on WhatsApp, here is a series of cybersecurity tips to prevent it
Nowadays we increasingly use WhatsApp for work and to hear from friends and family. Within the application we share very confidential information, photos and documents and it would be a real problem if someone spied on us. It may seem strange but there are several techniques that hackers use to spy on users on WhatsApp.
There are applications and programs that cyber criminals, but also people close to us as jealous partners or overly nosy office managers, can use to read what we write and share with our contacts on WhatsApp. In most cases these are spyware applications that are secretly installed on our phone, but there are also other ways to spy on WhatsApp conversations without the victim's phone. Fortunately, there are a number of tricks that we can use to defend our privacy on WhatsApp.
Block WhatsApp
Until recently, WhatsApp didn't have a PIN or password lock feature for chats, but the messaging app is currently releasing a facial recognition unlock feature for iPhone. However, if you don't have an iPhone, you can always install a third-party app on your Android phone - called a locker app - to use a PIN or password to block a single WhatsApp chat or the whole app.
Watch your phone number and Wi-Fi
We often use our phone number to sign up for web services or as contact information on social networks and other public online networks. Although it might seem harmless, it could be the worst mistake you've ever made online: if a hacker were to discover it, he could use it to add us on WhatsApp and send us auto-install malware. At the same time, a huge risk is using WhatsApp through public Wi-Fi networks that are not password-protected. In fact, hackers often target these connections to spy on what users are doing while using them. And so if a public Wi-Fi is compromised an attacker will be able to spy on our conversations on WhatsApp.
Beware of our device
Often to install an application to spy on us hackers or jealous partners must physically have in their hands our phone. So we avoid leaving it in the office or in public places if we go away and possibly protect the unlocking of the screen with a biometric sensor, if possible, or with a very effective password.