The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has advised Nigerians to be careful while using WhatsApp platform as their data could be exposed following the recent alleged breach on the platform.
Unconfirmed reports on data breach on the platform indicated that nearly 500 million WhatsApp users’ mobile phone numbers were leaked recently.
Though WhatsApp is yet to confirm or deny the alleged breach, NITDA stated that it had become imperative to put over 9 million Nigerian users of the platform on the alert in order to protect them from risks.
While noting that the breach portends risks for WhatsApp users globally but particularly in Nigeria, the agency warned: “Following the alleged leak of nearly 500 million Whatsapp users’ mobile phone numbers globally which includes over 9 million contacts from Nigeria, there is an impending danger of threat actors using these data to carry out malicious activities, which may put users at great risk.
“Such information could be used to perpetrate cyber-attacks such as smishing and vishing,” it added.
According to NITDA, Smishing involves sending an unsuspecting user text message(s) and asking them to click on links or provide personal information which can be used to scam victims or to launch other attacks.
The agency also stated that Vishing entails the use of phone calls or voice messages by cyber criminals to manipulate or deceive unsuspecting recipients into revealing or giving out sensitive information, which could be used to carry out fraudulent acts.
To guard against the risks, the NITDA advised WhatsApp users in the country to enable two-factor authentication on their instant messaging app, protect their personal information on their profiles, and shun requests from untrusted or unknown contacts, asking for their data, passwords, or other verification code via messages or calls.
In addition, the agency also advised users of all instant messaging platforms to be wary of unsolicited calls, voice notes, and messages from unknown numbers.
