Kuwaiti WhatsApp accounts breached with new method

• Muhammad Al-Rashidi, who heads the Cybersecurity Committee at the Kuwaiti Electronic Media Union, emphasized the importance of contacting the relevant official authorities to report the incident to prevent the account from being used for illegal activities

Cybersecurity expert Muhammad Al-Rashidi, who heads the Cybersecurity Committee at the Kuwaiti Electronic Media Union, disclosed that several Kuwaiti WhatsApp accounts were hacked using a new, innovative method involving multiple steps.

Al-Rashidi explained to Al-Rai newspaper, “This hack begins with a message via the WhatsApp application from an unknown number claiming to have received a message from the number to be hacked. The target then responds that he did not send any message, and not long after that, this matter is repeated a second, third, and perhaps fourth time.”

“Different numbers with the same content and sent in a similar manner are used, leading the owner of the targeted account to suspect a malfunction in their account, he explained adding approximately an hour after receiving these messages, the account holder is contacted by an account claiming to be from WhatsApp’s technical support. This fake support account complains that the user’s account is sending messages to others. As a result, the owner may fall into the trap and believe the false claims made by the hacker.

Al-Rashidi explained, “The account posing as technical support for the application will instruct the target to expect a code from WhatsApp to prevent the account from being suspended. If the target shares this code with the impersonator, their account will be hacked instantly. Therefore, this code should not be shared with anyone.”

Al-Rashidi emphasized the importance of contacting the relevant official authorities to report the incident to prevent the account from being used for illegal activities. He also advised informing family and friends to avoid money requests. Additionally, he stressed the necessity of activating the two-step verification method and linking the account to an email address for easier recovery.