WhatsApp virus can hack personal info on users’ phones

Virus-laden files circulating through WhatsApp can potentially compromise personal information on smartphones. Image INQUIRER.net stock photo

A pair of virus-laden files have recently been circulating through WhatsApp messages, and once activated, can compromise personal information on a user’s phone.

These two files are “NDA-ranked-8th-toughest-College-in-the-world-to-get-into.xls” and “NIA-selection-order-.xls”. These files are more often seen in MS Excel format but can also appear as MS Word and PDF files, reports International Business Times.

The WhatsApp virus is activated once a user clicks on the files. Information such as login credentials and PIN codes become vulnerable to misuse. It is believed that the virus is primarily directed towards individuals in uniform.

“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. However, it has been analyzed that the men and women in defence, paramilitary and police forces could be the target groups,” the Economic Times quoted concerned officials as saying.

WhatsApp has a wide range of users, from the average joe to government personnel. As such, various security forces are being alerted concerning this new threat. Alfred Bayle