Whatsapp Hacked.. now what?

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WhatsApp hacked, user data for sale on the black market

WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging app, has been hacked. The personal data of over half a billion users is now for sale on the black market. Right now there hasn’t been any response from Whatsapp so we are going off of what we have found on other security sites and the hacking forums. According to the forum posting the geo data looks like this, so no country really seems to be safe ( or the target ) just that they were able to get info about users all over the world.

whatsapp hacked data table info
whatsapp worldwide hacked list

This is a serious security breach that could have far-reaching consequences. Billions of people worldwide, including many high-profile individuals such as politicians and business leaders, use WhatsApp, or at least it used to be.

If your data has been compromised, you can take steps to protect yourself. Be sure to change your WhatsApp password and enable two-factor authentication. You should also be cautious about any unsolicited messages or calls you receive, as they may attempt to scam you or steal your data.

What happened: WhatsApp users’ data was accessed by unknown hackers

WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular messaging apps, has been hacked. Unknown hackers have gained access to the personal data of WhatsApp users and are selling it on the black market. This is a serious security breach that could potentially affect millions of WhatsApp users around the world.

If you are a WhatsApp user, it is highly recommended that you change your privacy settings and be extra vigilant about the information you share on the app. This hack underscores the importance of protecting your personal data online.

What data was accessed: Hackers had access to WhatsApp users’ names and phone numbers

WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps with over 1.5 billion users worldwide, has been hacked. Hackers had access to WhatsApp users’ names and phone numbers. The data was then put up for sale on the black market as seen in this forum post from Cyber news

This serious security breach could have major implications for WhatsApp users. If your name and phone number are exposed, it could lead to identity theft or fraud, which is not what anyone wants and again puts the question out there as to how safe these messaging apps are.

We thought there was supposed to be end-to-end encryption. Isn’t that what Facebook, sorry Meta, always says when you log in? How did that not stop this hack?

If you use WhatsApp, update your privacy settings and check for suspicious activity. Sadly, it is on you to notice if anything outside of the WhatsApp ecosystem is impacted like credit cards being opened in your name or anything like that. Which is why hacks like this can be so dangerous .

What can you do?

Really the only thing you can do is to look for different options for messaging. Sadly, it seems like every messaging app will get targeted by the time they get popular enough to be used by a lot of people. So, in theory, you could find a smaller app that has high-quality security… but as soon as others find out about the product and the user base gets big enough it would get targeted by hackers like we see with WhatsApp.

So, that leaves us with just really watching what we say and do in messaging apps. It reminds me of my Granny, who would say that you should never write or say anything that you wouldn’t want to be shown to your mother. And I guess it rings true, treat every message like it could be public, which really defeats the point of these apps but it seems to be the only way to protect yourself right now.

Conclusion:

Users should be vigilant about updating their apps and protecting their data and monitor what info they send online, and who they interact with. If you don’t know the person don’t accept messages or files from them. Sadly, it has come down to treating everyone almost like a potential threat rather than a potential new friend.

While WhatsApp has yet to really confirm or deny the hack, I would be using the app with the understanding that your data isn’t safe and either take a break from this messaging service for a bit or delete it and look for a better option.