ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued an advisory to the public as hacking of WhatsApp accounts has increased significantly.

In a statement, an FIA spokesperson said the agency had seen an alarming rise in incidents of WhatsApp hacking, adding that cybercriminals were mostly targeting women’s accounts.

The FIA ​​cyber crime wing said hackers are using sophisticated methods to gain unauthorized access to accounts.

The FIA ​​warned the public that “hackers gain access to accounts using phishing (a form of social engineering and scams where attackers trick people into revealing sensitive information or installing malware such as ransomware). are doing,” the FIA ​​warned the public.

The agency advised WhatsApp users to be wary of suspicious messages and links and to enable two-step verification to secure their accounts.

“Avoid opening messages or images, videos or files sent from unknown numbers,” the FIA ​​advisory added.

It advised the WhatsApp user to regularly review and update WhatsApp privacy settings. The agency asked citizens to report hacked accounts on the helpline at 1991 or go to the nearest FIA circle.

Earlier, it was reported that WhatsApp is rolling out. New facility For Mac users that allows them to share status updates from their computer.

This update comes soon after a similar feature was introduced for Android devices. Now, WhatsApp users can share photos, videos, GIFs, text and voice messages via status updates from any connected device.

As of the latest WhatsApp beta for Mac version 24.11.73 available on the TestFlight app, beta testers can now post status updates directly from the Status tab on their Macs.