The German Federal Office for Information Security has warned against opening links sent by strangers in the WhatsApp messaging app. Experts stress the need for caution when receiving messages from friends and relatives that may contain interesting content and are often accompanied by a link. According to German experts, these messages may not be from acquaintances at all, but from hackers and scammers who have gained access to a WhatsApp account and are seeking to compromise it. The situation becomes more dangerous when clicking on the link leads the user to a website that asks for identity verification specifically via phone number. These websites are currently deceptively similar to major social media platforms like Facebook. If a user provides their phone number on such a site, they enable hackers to redirect them to WhatsApp and activate the 'Link device to phone number' feature. WhatsApp then sends an 8-digit pairing code via SMS. When someone enters this pairing code on a phishing site, it is passed on to the scammers, allowing them to remotely link a device to their account. Consequently, the hackers gain access to all messages, media, and contacts. This fraudulent method is known as 'virtual pairing'. German experts advise users to regularly check the devices linked to their account. This can be easily done in WhatsApp settings under the 'Linked Devices' section, where login can be revoked at any time. Meanwhile, Meta stated that linked devices are automatically logged out if they remain unused for 30 days.
