Pakistani officials, public advised to take caution against WhatsApp hacking

• IT & Telecommunication ministry said it has already issued an advisory for federal govt officials on the matter, providing measures to minimize possibility of any infection.
• PTA approached Whatsapp management last week, after reports of WhatsApp users in Pakistan being targeted with a hacking software.

The Ministry of IT & Telecommunication has urged social media users to update their WhatsApp and device operating systems in order to protect their devices from any malware attack.

Amid media reports regarding WhatsApp accounts being hacked by a malware attack, the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication further advised the public to follow Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) instructions in this regard.

The ministry informed that it already issued an advisory for federal government officials on the matter, providing measures to minimize possibility of any infection.

Just days ago, PTA approached the management of Whatsapp, the Facebook-owned messaging platform, after reports of WhatsApp users in Pakistan being targeted with a hacking software. “PTA has taken up the matter with WhatsApp management," PTA said in a statement. The telecommunication authority added that it intended to get the details of users that were targeted in Pakistan but also to have an update on the remedial measures taken by WhatsApp to prevent the occurrence of such hacking steps in the future.

“The public is advised to upgrade the WhatsApp application to latest version and keep the device Operating System up to date in order to avoid such incidents," the authority added. “Affected individuals are requested to contact PTA at [email protected].”