THERE has been a lot of talk regarding the suspected data breach at WhatsApp involving a database that contained the most recent mobile phone numbers of close to 500 million users, which was allegedly leaked and sold. The seller claims to be able to provide phone numbers from 84 different countries, which is concerning.
According to Kaspersky GReAT's lead security researcher, Victor Chebyshev, once this information is in the hands of untrustworthy individuals, fraudsters may launch a variety of attacks ranging from spam calls to voice phishing.
"For a cybercriminal, having a potential victim's phone number significantly increases the opportunity of a successful attack, since most online services require entering a phone number along with other personal data: name, email address, and sometimes card details.
"Doxing, cyberbullying, blackmailing and extortion are among potential cyberthreats victims might face," said Chebyshev in a statement.
Responding to this, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky shares four safety tips for users following a data breach.
1.In the WhatsApp privacy settings, hide your data from everyone except those on your contact list.
2.Keep an eye out for calls and messages from unknown numbers.
3.If it hasn't already been enabled, enable two-factor authentication so that fraudsters can't use your phone number for malicious purposes.
4.Never open suspicious links sent by anyone because they may contain malicious files or directly lead you to fraudulent content.