Today, With The Wide Spread Of Messengers Such As Whatsapp, Securing Security And Preventing Them From Being Hacked Has Become Important. 

In this article, we will learn how to prevent hacking and recover a hacked WhatsApp account.

Every day, thousands of people worldwide experience hacking their user accounts on social networks. It is because, with the ever-increasing disclosure of user account information by infiltrating the databases of large companies, the mentioned statistics can increase.

Even if you don’t use the same password on your other accounts, hackers’ software can quickly generate different passwords and eventually allow them to log into your account. The information on some of your accounts may have been exposed right now.

To find out, go to haveibeenpwned.com and check your user information disclosure by entering your email address.

In other cases, the user may fall into the trap of hackers by replying to fake emails. For example, you may receive a phony email stating that your Facebook account is about to be deleted and asking you to click on a link to prevent this from happening.

WhatsApp, one of the most used messaging applications in the world, is also considered one of the safest. However, hackers can access your account without your knowledge through the mentioned methods and delete or steal your information.

Therefore, it is better to make a backup copy of all your data before any action by learning how to back up WhatsApp.

Ways to prevent WhatsApp hacking

Although steps can be taken to prevent WhatsApp accounts from being hacked, there is no single and definite way for it. The best way to protect your account is always to avoid revealing private information to strangers. However, prevention is always better than cure, and you can prevent hackers from accessing your account on social networks and WhatsApp as much as possible by following some tips.

In the following, we will examine and introduce the most important methods to prevent WhatsApp hacking, and then we will explain how to recover the hacked account. Most of the mentioned steps are the same for Android and iOS phones.

1. Activating two-step authentication of WhatsApp

Two-step authentication is one of the valuable features of most Internet service providers. In this method, when logging into the account, in addition to receiving the confirmation code message and entering it, you must enter a fixed password that significantly reduces the possibility of other people logging into your account.

To enter the account through any device, you must remember this password; without it, it is impossible to access the report. To activate two-step authentication in WhatsApp, follow the steps below:

• After entering WhatsApp, enter the menu by touching the three-dot icon on the top bar and opening its settings by selecting Settings.
• Select the Account option.
• Select the Two-step verification option.

• Touch the Enable button.
• Enter a 6-digit numerical code and press the Next button.
• Repeat the code and click the Next button.

In the next step, you will be asked to enter an email address to retrieve the code if you forget it. We suggest you do this, But if you don’t want to, touch Skip to complete the task.

• After entering the email, click the Next button, and in the next step, enter the email again and click Save.
• Now the two-step authentication of your account is activated. Exit the settings by touching the Done button.

2. Activating WhatsApp screen lock

If you have a habit of leaving your phone somewhere without locking it, there is a high possibility that others will log into your WhatsApp account and read your messages. Fortunately, the new versions of WhatsApp can close it through Face ID and fingerprint. To activate the WhatsApp screen lock with fingerprint or Face ID on Android or iPhone phones, follow the steps below:

• After entering WhatsApp, enter the menu by touching the three-dot icon on the top bar and opening its settings by selecting Settings.
• Select the Privacy option.
• Go to the bottom of the screen and open the Fingerprint lock option on Android phones with a fingerprint sensor and Screen Lock on the iPhone.

• In the next step, activate the option Unlock with fingerprint or Require Touch ID or Require Face ID.

You will now be asked to scan your fingerprint or face to activate the lock.

You can determine how and when the screen will be locked on this page. If you want the application to be sealed as soon as you close WhatsApp, select the Immediately option; Otherwise, select one of the other options with different times. Indeed, the security of the first option is more; Because it activates the lock immediately, no one will be able to access your messages.

3. Checking unauthorized logins to WhatsApp account

Suppose someone accesses your WhatsApp account on your phone, even for a moment. In that case, they can easily connect it to the computer or WhatsApp web version with QRcode and get all your messages and information without your knowledge. Since we may not pay attention to our phones sometimes, it is better to check this issue and ensure that no other device is connected to your account. If you have not activated the WhatsApp screen lock before, the possibility of such an event is more likely, and you must do the necessary check in the mentioned method:

• Log in to WhatsApp on your Android phone and open the menu by touching the three-point icon and selecting the Linked devices option.
• You can see all the devices connected to your account on this page. If you see an unfamiliar option in the list of connected devices, click on it and select LOG OUT.

In the iPhone, there are almost similar steps; But the Linked Devices or WhatsApp Web option is located in the Settings section, where you can view the connected devices and delete them if necessary.

4. Investigating the penetration of WhatsApp messages by changing the name of the audience

One of the clever ways for hackers to steal your sensitive information is to enter your number in your audience and name it as someone close to you. For example, in this method, the hacker changes the number of one of your close friends with his number in your phone and matches his profile as well; As a result, you believe you are communicating with your friend; While another person has entered your Privacy.

To check this issue, you must ensure that the end-to-end encryption function of WhatsApp is working correctly. The mentioned feature converts your messages into encrypted codes and sends them to the other party’s phone, which will be visible to him after decoding so that no one else can see it. However, if you’re suspicious of one of your audience and think you’re talking to an impostor instead of your friend, it’s a good idea to check the end-to-end Encryption between your accounts as follows:

• First, enter the chat page with the desired contact in WhatsApp and touch his name at the top of the screen.
• After opening the profile, scroll down a bit and select Encryption.
• You can see the security and QR codes on the opened page. To ensure that WhatsApp encryption works properly between your account and your contact, open this page on his phone and scan the QR code on his phone screen by selecting SCAN CODE.

If the security code is verified, a green tick will be displayed on the screen; Otherwise, your messages will be sent to someone else’s phone.

5. Making WhatsApp privacy settings

The WhatsApp application has the possibility of hiding your information, such as your profile picture, the time of your last visit, and your status, which in some cases can help maintain Privacy and prevent the display of personal information to unknown people. To use WhatsApp privacy features:

• From the WhatsApp menu, open Settings and then Account and enter Privacy.

In the opened page, you can make your desired settings:

In the Last seen and online section, you can determine which people can see the time of your last visit and when you were online.

In the Who can see my last seen section, you can choose one of the following options:

• Everyone: Everyone can see your previous visit.
• My contacts: Only your contacts can see your last visit.
• My contacts for Everyone except the people you choose can see your last visit. Also, if you want only a certain number of your audience to know your previous visit, by touching the select all icon in the upper corner of the screen, check all and exclude only the contacts you want to be able to see your visit time.

• Nobody: Nobody can know the time of your last visit.

Also, it is possible to determine whether or not you are online from the Who can see when I’m online section:

• Everyone: Everyone can see when you’re online.
• Same as last seen: The last seen setting mentioned above also applies to being online.

6. Avoid being added to WhatsApp groups

Since hackers may add you to WhatsApp groups and put links and infected programs to encourage you to open them, it is better not to allow others to add you to groups. To do this, proceed as follows:

• From the WhatsApp menu, open Settings and then Account and enter Privacy.
• Now tap on the Groups option.

• Select the My contacts option and select all contacts by touching the Select all icon in the upper corner of the screen so that no one can add you to a group.

If you want some of your audience to be able to do this, remove the tick next to their name.

Now, if someone tries to add you to a group, you’ll be sent an invitation that you can accept or decline.

7. Disable WhatsApp Live Status sharing

Live location sharing allows other people to track your location at any time, which can be very tempting for hackers and dangerous. If you have not used this feature yet, it is better to check if it is enabled for other people by entering the WhatsApp settings. For this purpose:

• From the WhatsApp menu, open Settings and then Account and enter Privacy.
• Select the Live location option.

If the contact is displayed on the opened screen, he can see your current location and has access to your phone.

• First, click on STOP SHARING to disable access to the situation for him, and then take the steps mentioned earlier to stop his access to your account.

8. Avoid suspicious opening links on WhatsApp

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, one of the main methods of hackers stealing your private information is to enter you into a site or group that uses different tricks to dump your information. This can be done through a link to invite you to a contest or receive a charge and a gift, or it can be an advertisement of your favorite content and sites; But do not open links until you are sure of the content of the links and the identity of the sender. Of course, losing an anonymous gift is better than losing your personal information and violating your Privacy.

9. Refrain from sending the account login verification code to others

One of the easiest and most common ways to hack WhatsApp is to use the SMS verification code to log into the account. It is enough for hackers to enter WhatsApp with your number and take the verification code from you with a trick; In this case, in addition to hacking the account, hackers can permanently prevent you from entering your account by enabling two-step authentication.

Many people easily share their verification code in the greed of receiving a prize or even doing illegal activities, while such work can be a hacker’s trick to steal your information; Therefore, under no circumstances and circumstances do not share the account verification code with other people, even if you know them. Always think of your login verification code as the key to your safety, which no one should have.

10. Beware of spyware

Although professional hackers have programs to access people’s information, many spying applications in cyberspace can be easily downloaded and used under various titles, including monitoring children and families. While such apps can have practical uses for babysitting, many novice hackers use them to spy on other people.

By secretly installing these applications on your phone, they can make your contacts, text messages, calls, images, and even WhatsApp messages available to hackers. However, it is almost impossible for regular users to detect such programs, and no exact and definitive method exists. The best way to discover spyware is to get help from experts and thoroughly check the applications installed on the phone.

However, internal monitoring systems of operating systems such as Google’s “Poly Protect” in Android phones can detect and disable some of the mentioned programs.

The feature is automatically activated, But someone with access to your device may have disabled it. Follow the steps below to check and start the Google Play Protect protection system:

• First, enter the Play Store or Google Play Store.
• Click on your Google account icon next to the top bar.
• From the menu that opens, touch Play Protect.

• Open the settings screen by touching the gear icon in the upper corner.
• On the opened page, activate both options.

The poly protect screen should now look similar to the image below. If PolyProtect displays a warning, allow the removal of harmful programs.

Fortunately, since the iOS operating system of iPhone phones is more secure and the programs are more fully monitored, it is less likely to be infected with such spying applications.

Recover hacked WhatsApp account

The way to recover the account is different in different internet services, Although the mentioned difference is sometimes huge and sometimes small. However, they all follow the same pattern, from easy password recovery to authentication to getting help from the service company’s staff, including WhatsApp messenger.

If someone hacks your account, you will be automatically logged out. Fortunately, hackers in WhatsApp cannot see your previous messages and can only send and receive new notifications. So, as soon as you become aware that your account has been hacked, please take steps to recover it.

To get your account back, log in again with the verification code sent to your phone; In this way, the person who hacked your report will be kicked out, and the account’s control will be returned to you. Don’t forget if someone has connected to your account through the computer or web version of WhatsApp, follow the method mentioned in the section “Checking unauthorized logins to WhatsApp account.”

However, it is possible that the hacker is more professional and has immediately activated two-step authentication with a secret password after logging into your account. If such a problem occurs, try to enter your account again and log in. By doing this, the hacker’s access will be cut off from your account, and after a week, you will be able to log in to your account without needing a two-step authentication password.

You should contact the WhatsApp support team if the methods are unsuccessful. For this purpose, send an email to the following address with your email address or enter the WhatsApp contact page :

support@whatsapp.com

Enter a phrase like the following for the title:

My Account Is Hacked

In the text of the email, write your request along with the phone number on which your account is installed and your profile information:

I’m Soheil Madani. Someone has just hacked my Whatsapp account.

Would you please help me to retrieve my account? My phone number is +989101234567.

Regards

The WhatsApp support team will guide you to recover your account after receiving the email.

If your phone and SIM card have been stolen or you have lost it, and you are worried about the security of your information on WhatsApp, you should contact WhatsApp support and inform them so that they can deactivate your account. Later, you can re-enter your account by receiving a new SIM card with the last number.

For this purpose, send an email to WhatsApp with the following title and submit your request:

My Phone Is Stolen/Lost

In the text of the email, write the following words by inserting your mobile phone number:

Please deactivate my account.

Remember that hackers may have access to your phone and text messages, So make sure your device is secure enough before recovering your account.

Although Meta company claims that WhatsApp is one of the most secure messengers in the world, many users believe that the said messenger is not very user-friendly and lacks many features of other messengers.

Also, recently there have been unconfirmed rumors that users’ information is being sold to other companies and entities. Suppose you are one of these people worried about violating your Privacy. In that case, you can delete your WhatsApp account, delete your profile and all your information and migrate to other messengers.