Why is it in News?
→ CERT-In issued an advisory on a new WhatsApp cyber threat.
→ The attack enables unauthorised access to WhatsApp accounts without SIM swap.
Important Points
- Identified as a new WhatsApp attack technique.
- Hackers secretly link their device to victim’s WhatsApp account.
- Provides near-complete access without victim noticing.
- Does not require passwords or SIM swaps.
- Victims are tricked into entering pairing codes.
- Attack starts with message “Hi, check this photo”.
- Message includes a malicious link with Facebook-style preview.
- Fake Facebook viewer asks users to “verify”.
- Victims unknowingly grant full WhatsApp access to attackers.