Hackers Found a Way to Steal Login Credential through WhatsApp

Users of WhatsApp should be cautious to stay away from the latest scam attempting to steal login details of your bank accounts. Hackers were targeting innocent users with mobile virus, which is distributed through genuine-looking Word docs sent via WhatsApp.

These documents, when opened, can siphon off sensitive user information, including credentials of online banking and various other private data. As per the users, the virus was also disguised as Microsoft PDF or Excel file.

The two virus files are "NDA-ranked-8th-toughest-College-in-the-world-to-get-into.xls" and "NIA-selection-order-.xls". The report said that the virus files mostly contain the format of MS Excel but it can be in MS Word or PDF format also.

These virus files can access personal details on the phone such as banking credentials, PIN codes and banking passwords. Ibtimes.co.in posted on 2nd January, 2017, stating that although WhatsApp users belong to all walks of life, it is being believed that the main target of the virus is people in the uniform.

Concerned officials quoted by The Economic Times as saying that "as these two organizations are very popular and known within the country and abroad and there is a curiosity about them, it is possible that it may affect the mobile phones of people interested in these subjects." The officials further said that as per the analysis, men as well as women in paramilitary, police forces and defence might are target groups.

This was not first time when WhatsApp was used by cybercriminals for targeting users. Users of WhatsApp in UK are warned regarding a fresh scam message last year, which offered free voucher worth 100 Pound from Sainsbury's, the supermarket firm, to the users. The worst thing is this scam message seemed to be forwarded from your contact list, like a family member or friend.

Priority is to create a secure space for the users to communicate with each other. Unsolicited messages from non-permitted 3rd parties come in several forms like spam, phishing messages and hoax. All these kinds of messages were largely defined as unwanted messages from the unauthorised 3rd parties, which try to cheat you along with prompting you for behaving in a particular manner.

» SPAMfighter News - 1/9/2017