Tech

How Can I Recover a Hacked WhatsApp Account?

Skillz May 22, 2022

0 179 7 minutes read

How Can I Recover a Hacked WhatsApp Account?— In this day and age, it is not shocking to learn that a user account has been compromised. It appears that there has been a rise in the number of instances of hacking that have taken place. It is only normal to be concerned about the security of your social media accounts given the increasing frequency with which incidents like this are being reported.

Due to the fact that WhatsApp is one of the most popular applications, user accounts and chats have a significant risk of being compromised. Many of us are dependent on WhatsApp, so if it stops operating, it might create a chaotic situation.

To go back to the subject at hand, if you are also concerned about whether or not someone has hacked into your WhatsApp account, you do not need to be concerned since we have you covered. In this post, we will explain how to determine whether or not someone has hacked into your WhatsApp account, as well as the potential techniques that a hacker may use to break into your account. In addition to that, we will discuss the many ways in which you may safeguard your account. So let’s not waste any more time and get started straight away, shall we?

Table of Contents

How Can You Tell If Someone Is Hacking Into Your WhatsApp Account or Chat?

There is no way to know a hacker’s level of experience, despite the fact that the hacker can only access your WhatsApp account up to a specific point before being blocked. There is no question regarding how harmful hacking may be, despite the fact that there is a cap on the number of times you can break into someone’s WhatsApp account.

Read also: Codes to check if phone is hacked

The hacker will be able to see any secret information stored on your device (something that gives me chills just thinking about it) and will also have access to any private chats you have. One won’t even want to want to fathom the possibility of the hacker misusing the data. Now we get to the most important question: how can one tell whether their account has been hacked into or if someone is attempting to do so? Let’s find out.

Check the activity on your WhatsApp account: If you notice anything that appears out of the ordinary, such as your log-in activity coming from a device that you aren’t familiar with, this should be enough of a warning sign for you to investigate it.
Pay attention to the latest and most unpredictable messages: It is not uncommon for us to receive messages from unfamiliar numbers, which, upon closer inspection, turn out to be misunderstandings or messages from long-lost acquaintances. If, on the other hand, you are receiving these messages on a regular basis, it is possible that a hacker is attempting to get access to your WhatsApp account by engaging in conversation with you.
Examine the people in your contact list: Every every day, there are thousands of telephone numbers that are ported to new consumers and subsequently reassigned to new callers. And if you have such a number stored, even though it does not belong to the same person any more but you are still receiving messages from it, it may be really annoying.
Have a look at the Linked Devices section of WhatsApp: If you have many devices on which you are signed into your WhatsApp account, but one of those devices is unknown, then the hacker may be using that unknown device.
Look for pals who have recently been added: People come into our lives, and almost immediately, we form connections with them. So immediate that we find ourselves exchanging phone digits. On the other hand, the same people carry the risk of becoming hackers. If the hacker is added to your contact list as well, they will be able to access your account.

As you can see, these are the several avenues that a hacker can take in order to access your WhatsApp account. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s have a look at the several approaches that might result in the WhatsApp account being hacked.

How Does Someone Hack Into My WhatsApp Account, and What Are the Possible Methods They Could Use?

When it comes to breaking into people’s accounts, hackers have a wide variety of tools at their disposal. Unfortunately, new methods of hacking and scamming are being developed every day, which may be quite hazardous. Simply tapping on a message will open it up for you, and then boom! You are unable to log in to your own account at this time. Is that how you feel?

But how exactly did the hacker do this? Where did you leave off with the unfinished business? Let’s try to piece together what could have transpired.

Utilizing Social Media: Don’t we all like immersing ourselves in the realm of social media for the entirety of the day? However, this may cause problems for us in the future. It is possible for dishonest people in the world to take advantage of this vulnerability and hack their way into our accounts.
Remote Code Execution with the Use of GIFs: In the year 2019, a security researcher by the name of Awakened uncovered a vulnerability. It discussed how hackers may take control of WhatsApp by utilizing a GIF graphic as a means of communication. When a user visits their own photographs to share a media file, the user opens themselves up to the possibility of being hacked. Even though Facebook eventually fixed the issue after being informed about it by Awakened, the hackers are still active and looking for more methods to circumvent Facebook’s security measures.

Note: To prevent this problem, upgrade WhatsApp to version 2.19.244 or later.

Using WhatsApp Clone on another device: A hacker will attempt to access your WhatsApp account by installing a very identical-looking WhatsApp clone software. The consumers are offered a link to download a certain software, and once doing so, the program begins gathering data from WhatsApp and their smartphone.
Pegasus Attack: The Pegasus approach enables hackers to get access to a victim’s device using a WhatsApp voice conversation. And even if the victim does not answer to the call, the malware might still be installed without the victim’s knowledge.
There are applications that may easily access your WhatsApp account and steal your personal information if you install them on your smartphone. The hacker only has to purchase the program, install it, and activate it on the target device. They can access private WhatsApp information including messages, contacts, and status updates. However, we highly discourage anyone from doing so!
Media File Attack: In this attack, the media files supplied and received by users, such as movies and photographs from the external storage of the device, are exploited. It begins by replacing the original object with a replica. In this manner, the hacker modifies the supplied item into a fake, and once the file is downloaded, your device and its contents are in the hacker’s possession.
Using WhatsApp Web: As the adage goes, prevention is preferable to cure; if you have ever faced an unexpected login with an unrecognized device, it’s conceivable that a small error on your part led to the situation. If you have used WhatsApp Web on a friend’s smartphone without logging out, they can exploit your data. They can tap “keep me signed in” and your account will stay logged in on their devices even after you close the browser, resulting in adverse outcomes.
Now that we know what and how a hacker may do to gain access to and steal your WhatsApp account, let’s examine the actions required to restore the account.

Recovering a Compromised WhatsApp Account

In order to be ready and prepared for any hacking scenario, you must activate all of the WhatsApp security settings. There is thankfully a solution to safeguard and recover a compromised WhatsApp account. You don’t need to panic, as we’ve provided you with some rather simple procedures to restore your compromised WhatsApp account.

Log off WhatsApp Web

Open WhatsApp and tap on Settings from the bottom right side.

Then select Linked Devices from the options.

Tap on the device that you want to log out from.

After that, a pop-out will appear, tap on log-out.

Account Deactivation Request

If removing WhatsApp Web didn’t work and you’re certain your WhatsApp account has been hacked, you should deactivate your account. However, before deactivating your account, you must notify your known contacts and inform them that your account has been hacked. Now, let’s get started with the process steps:

From your phone, open the email app phone.

Send the message to the email address support@whatsapp.com and enter the following text in the email body: “Lost/Stolen: Please deactivate my account”.

Make sure that you include your phone number along with the country and the area code.

After your WhatsApp account has been deactivated, you will have 30 days to reactivate it, if possible. All of your account’s data will be erased irretrievably at the end of the specified period.

Reset Your Phone’s Factory Settings

It is possible that, rather than a hacker, an unsafe program gained access to your WhatsApp account; therefore, it is not necessary to terminate your account or log out of all related devices.

If you use third-party applications, they may include viruses and vulnerabilities that destroy WhatsApp, leading you to believe it has been compromised.

In such cases, it is necessary to do a system restore. Following are the stages for the factory reset procedure:

Using the aforementioned techniques, your WhatsApp should now function normally, without causing you to question whether it has been hacked or not.

Methods for Securing a WhatsApp Account and Its Messages

Even though WhatsApp says that its settings and chats are encrypted to prevent third-party access to users’ chats, images, audio, and data, this is not the case. There are still security loopholes, which hackers might exploit to gain access to user accounts. They may also end up exploiting the people’s information, which might result in negative circumstances and consequences. Enabling two-factor authentication is one of the most beneficial security measures for WhatsApp. Let’s have a look at the procedure’s steps:

Note: If you no longer want the two-step verification option, you can tap Disable. If you wish to alter your PIN, touch Change PIN and if your recovery email address has changed, tap Change Email Address.