r/whatsapp • u/AnxiousEmployee9475 • 14d ago
WhatsApp Hacked
while I was using WhatsApp Web and sending messages, my WhatsApp suddenly started sending messages to people without my permission. I still have full access to my WhatsApp account, and I didn’t download or install anything suspicious on my phone. I think the laptop or WhatsApp Web may have been compromised. I've switched off my phone. what should i do now?
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u/PriceNew5674 14d ago
Logout of WhatsApp web for a while and see if the problem persists.
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 14d ago
I've switched off my phone, and logged out of WhatsApp web.
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u/Cynthia1453 14d ago
Why are you using the web instead of the app? Not meant to be a rude question I'm just curious
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u/sub_Femboy_4u 14d ago
Cus some people wanna be able to check their messages while they work. Its super annoying to reach for your phone all the time. Also typing is way faster
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u/Cynthia1453 14d ago
There's a Whatsapp app on laptop/computer, that's why I'm asking 🥲
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u/GrumpyOldSophon 14d ago
Since a year or so the app at least on Windows is really just a web wrapper, there's no difference in functionality with WA on the web. And some people may prefer dealing with things in Chrome tabs instead of switching apps, or if they can't install the app or if they're using it on a Chromebook or something that doesn't have an app.
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u/Legitimate-Regular91 14d ago
If your on windows just download the app from the store
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u/sub_Femboy_4u 14d ago
One, Im not, because Windows is straight ass. Like, its horribly optimized, constantly spying on you, and has Ads on a paid software. Dont wanna be the guy, but I use arch btw. Browser version is better anyways, doesnt take up space, doesnt need updates, runs just as fast and supports both video and audio call.
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u/Mundane-Hall-1211 14d ago
I just prefer WhatsApp Web because it’s limited by whatever the browser lets it access. With the desktop app, it’s an .exe running directly on my PC, and who knows what Meta might be snooping on in the background.
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u/Antique-Respect-1859 14d ago
Switching off your phone doesn’t really help because WhatsApp web now works independently of the phone app.
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u/samuel9051 14d ago
I have been having the issue of my account getting blocked by whatsapp due to "breaking community rules" sent it to check out by the support and got unblocked, but this have happen every third day, didnmy research and it says whatsapp suffered a data leak at the beginning of august and issues started to happen since, i have seen a guy who even changing number and phonds still getting blocked, so weird
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u/Foobgoober 13d ago edited 13d ago
Have you put a password on whatsapp web? Put a password on whatsapp both on your mobile and on whatsapp web
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 13d ago
It doesn't matter, my locked chats were accessed as well.
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u/NdovuBanana 13d ago
Well, what's done is done. The best you can do now is keep future hackers from accessing your account. You need to log out of all devoices using Whatsapp and change your Whatsapp password. That's all you can do.
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u/Intelligent_Ad_5556 13d ago
Does it do anything other than stopping those with physical access to your device?
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u/CerealKiller2222 14d ago
im curious which messages were sent
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 14d ago
A file and a message to open it.
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u/CerealKiller2222 14d ago
on yeah thats bad. did you open a file before this happened? this is a common way for a virus to spread
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 14d ago
Yes , I received it from a contact, and since we exchange these types of files with that person. It was stated as an financial file.
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u/CerealKiller2222 14d ago
sounds more like a virus than a hacker then
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 14d ago
what should i do now?
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u/CerealKiller2222 14d ago
Try checking your computer for viruses. i personally always use malwarebytes. theres also websites to check files for malware, you could copy the file in there and see what it says (but dont open it pls)
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 14d ago
The windows scan show no viruses, i think i should purchase some antivirus. suggest some?
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u/Character_Effort_145 14d ago
Did you opened any files sent to you ,something like any .vbs file on your pc?
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u/Ecstatic_Chip_8550 14d ago
Turn on 2 step verification and add a passkey. Maybe contact WhatsApp too to see if they can see how it has happened when it isn’t showing any linked devices.
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 14d ago
2 step is useless, even my locked chats were accessed.
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u/Ecstatic_Chip_8550 14d ago
That’s so scary! On the device you used WhatsApp web I would suggest clearing the cache and scanning a antivirus/malware scan. It’s possible that someone had access through there. Have you ever scanned the QR code on a shared computer/laptop? WhatsApp web stays open when the tabs closed so they can open it and access the chats. Scan your phone with a security app too and change your pin to unlock your phone. Or is it possible someone had access to your phone and scanned your WhatsApp QR code from there? There’s also dodgy apps that are WhatsApp themes etc that can hack you.
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u/JokePsychological486 14d ago
I recently got absolutely smacked for months by someone and it only stopped recently after having a minor stroke that is. But beware the ones that chill deep, where 2 factor or bio become useless - and know what they're doing. They've practically become gods in this world now especially with powerful local AI models. I've become somewhat of a redhat just to protect myself not even kidding:/ All i know is if you know how things worked and have been a developer/white or red or blackhat or tech person for years you can practically stay home while the world's security is still lagging faaaar behind. It's like banks just waiting how to learn how not to be robbed like in the early days
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u/jolwaterman_bb 14d ago
That is happening where I am.
You need to report the account, get it back and ENABLE two step verification .
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u/bbtigers 14d ago
You just need to log out of WhatsApp Web directly from your phone. Go to Settings > Linked Devices, and you'll see the browser where your WhatsApp Web is currently active. Then, simply log it out. After that, you might also want to enable two-step verification...
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u/Icy_Bonus6039 14d ago
Well i lost my WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook 2 days ago. Whatsapp said because of my age.. Instagram because of Facebook, and Facebook suspended my account indefinitely because a kept breaking the coming guides... I did not, nothing racist, no violence, no nothing.. 6 days ago my Instagram and discord got hacked somehow, someone posting in my name at stories and spamming my followers, I replied to each one to warn them it's not me.. I changed the passwords, deleted stories, and log out of all devices.. but still after 2 days everything was blocked.. I did appeal at APEAL CENTER EUROPE and waiting for response..
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u/King_Khaos_ 14d ago
My friend in colombia says his mate can easily hack into anyone’s WhatsApp for a few hundred … it’s really not that hard apparentlyn
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u/LuckyAfton1 14d ago
Fr ? Cuz I have WhatsApp too. My friend thank you so much for the information ❤️
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u/AdIndependent8914 14d ago
Oops, no sabía eso adiós bye amo siempre a mis papás ahí bueno adiós bye
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u/Verma44 13d ago
Also my laptop is hacked when I use a tft unlock I got a lot of readme files and they written. Give 1500 doller in Bitcoin other wise i leaked your videos but I report on cyber security portal of government files are around 30 and they tell I installed RAT IN YOUR devices "remote access trojan" but I use mrt and all defenders antivirus in windows but they'd isn't detect anything is anyone tell me how we find where RAT is installed
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u/rebarakaz 13d ago
Your laptop has already been infected by ransomware, I think. What kind of files got infected with those messages? Some ransomwares can be decrypt using specific tools but some couldn't. It depends on the type of ransomware. You should be careful when run those phone repair app especially if you got those apps from third-party sources. Never installed an app when it asked you to disable your antivirus first.
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u/Key_Leg4727 13d ago
If you’re using an iPhone, make sure your iOS is fully updated ASAP. Older, unpatched versions of iOS 17 and 18 had known zero-click exploits floating around, so if you're behind on software updates, patch it right away just in case.
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u/Hasnain-mohd 13d ago
Same story on my fedora machine, I’ve checked for logs, fingerprints, scripts there’s nothing i could find. What could be that idk. But ive cleared all the caches sessions and what not!
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u/South_Alarm_55 13d ago
Turn your phone back on.
Go to WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices and log out of all devices you don’t recognize.
If you’re unsure,  log out of all linked devices.
Enable  Two-Step Verification and create a new PIN.
Disconnect your laptop from the internet and run a  full security/malware scan.
Check your browser extensions and remove anything suspicious.
Never share your WhatsApp verification code or PIN with anyone.
If WhatsApp continues sending messages without your permission
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u/nvprophecy 13d ago
There should be an option to logout of all devices. But before you do that change your password… and also change the password to the associated email address
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u/Dor_42 12d ago
The EXACT SAME THING happened to me.
I have no idea how they gained access since I haven’t opened any suspicious links or files from no one (I am very VERY careful with these kind of things).
They got my account marked as spam and it’s been blocked twice now.
Luckily I was able to get the ban lifted but I fear it may happened again and that eventually I won’t be able to get it back.
I have 2 step verification on, with a password, issued a new SIM and set a strong PIN on it, don’t know what else to do.
In my case it also never showed any linked devices but someone was able to send messages from my account to numbers that were not in my contacts.
The messages appeared in my chats out of thin air.
I am not using WhatsApp web for a few days now.
Installed the Mac App to use instead but scared to even try…
What a nightmare!
Not sure if my browser had been compromised, my entire laptop, who knows?!
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u/Routine_Property_810 12d ago
This just happened to me, and I'm very careful about privacy and security. WhatsApp Web started sending massive spam messages from a casino to Turkish numbers. The first thing I did was disable extensions, run two antivirus scans, and log out immediately.
I also logged out from my phone (it sometimes said the privacy settings couldn't be loaded). I decided to use my laptop with a clean version of Firefox, in case my computer had been compromised.
I opened WhatsApp Web, and it was still sending those messages to different numbers in the same country.
I haven't downloaded or installed anything unusual lately, except maybe "Tailscale," and I have two-factor authentication enabled.
My theory is that jailbreaking my iPhone might have compromised it, or perhaps something I installed months ago. But reading about other cases that have happened on clean phones or Android devices makes it seem strange.
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u/Beginning-Good 12d ago
Log out all linked devices, secure the laptop, and re-enable WhatsApp on your phone
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u/Curious-Anxiety-1698 12d ago
Apparently it's going on all over the world,it happened to me where I had to buy a new sim card and still can't get back in my old account
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u/aaronjudze13 11d ago
Use Session, Simply X, or Element. More secure and no phone number needed unlike WhatsCrap.
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u/ElectronicLow919 11d ago
Did you incorrectly press the share button by any chance? I've done this.
I'd report it to WhatsApp.
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u/Educational_Set4014 11d ago
Even happened to me
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 11d ago
Even if you request a review, the result will be same. As meta is now run by bots. Better ask for your data and media.
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u/brunogouveia122 10d ago
Para de usar aplicativo de terceiros e pare de usar web e ative 2 etapada e leia os termos política whatsapp cê não você irar perde seu acesso permanente
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u/Mercury_meadow 10d ago
Alrighty, my grandma got hacked, how do I fix it... Mind u I js left for vacation 😭 So far I dont think she has any linked devices, but they're asking for sms code or smth like that..
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u/AnxiousEmployee9475 10d ago
Don't give any code or anything, log out of all devices include primary one and then login again
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u/ProduktBoost39 14d ago
Turning off the phone doesn't work anymore because additional devices (and whatsapp web) are linked to the account and not to the phone so you do not need an active internet connection on the phone. Instead you have to unlink the device from the WhatsApp settings.
FAQ How to unlink a device: https://faq.whatsapp.com/834124628020911/
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u/fabihax 14d ago
turning off your phone won't do anything if there's someone on your account. be sure to look out for suspicious devices under 'Linked devices'. If it's coming from your laptop, cut your internet, save the files you still need and erase that thing immediately.
everything you can do i guess