WhatsApp's new security feature to block unknown senders' messages
WhatsApp is working on another new feature that will undoubtedly be useful for every user of the messaging application. The app will soon include the ability to automatically block messages from unknown senders, a great solution that will help prevent phishing attacks.
WhatsApp is present on many people's phones, making it equally popular among scammers who carry out attacks. One of the more popular scams involves impersonating fake buyers of products listed on various classified sites. The scammer pretends they have decided to buy the product and have paid the money, but for the seller to "collect" the money, they need to click on a link and fill out a form. This is, of course, a scam that leads to data theft, and the attack starts with a message from an unknown number on WhatsApp, which is crucial in this case.
Similarly, long, fake job advertisements are sent via messaging apps, designed to lead individuals to a fraudulent website. It turns out that such attacks can be automatically avoided soon. WhatsApp settings will allow rejecting messages from unknown senders (not saved in the contact book) if their length exceeds a certain limit. Specific details are unknown, but this is likely intentional not to make things easier for scammers.
According to WABetaInfo, the new option is currently being tested within WhatsApp 2.24.17.24 Beta for Android and is not available for everyone. It will likely take at least a few more days or weeks before the feature appears on smartphones of regular messenger users in a stable release.
Be cautious on WhatsApp
The mentioned phishing attacks are just some methods attackers use to exploit the messaging app to gather valuable data. Users must also be cautious about the possibility of account takeover on WhatsApp through call forwarding manipulation.
The scam starts by convincing the victim to enter a sequence of characters (MMI code) on their phone that activates unconditional call forwarding to the attacker’s number. This way, the attacker gains access to the calls and text messages received by the victim. Knowing the victim’s phone number, the attacker can attempt to log in to WhatsApp on a new device, and the authentication code sent by the app will be forwarded to the attacker’s phone number. As a result, they will take over the WhatsApp account within a few moments.
Further steps include activating WhatsApp on the attacker's phone, allowing them to read new messages and impersonate the victim. To avoid such scams, users should be wary of any requests to enter mysterious codes into their phones and check carefully to ensure that such actions are not attempts at manipulation.
