NCCIA chief reveals major reason behind WhatsApp hacking

National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Director General Khurram Ali on Friday said that sharing one-time passwords (OTPs) remained the primary reason behind the hacking of WhatsApp accounts.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Ali said cases involving hacked WhatsApp accounts and bank accounts had increased in Pakistan, adding that the NCCIA had prepared an action plan to tackle WhatsApp hacking.

According to the NCCIA DG, the agency was establishing a dedicated helpline to guide victims in recovering compromised accounts.

The official said the agency had also decided to launch a public awareness campaign in local languages in collaboration with Meta to educate users about online safety.

He urged the public to enable two-step verification and never share confidential verification codes received on their phones with anyone.

"Sharing an OTP is the biggest reason behind WhatsApp accounts being hacked," he said, adding that work was also under way to prevent the misuse of OTPs through technological measures.

The NCCIA chief said online crimes had increased overall due to growing internet and mobile phone usage, which had also contributed to a rise in cyber fraud.

He added that several cybercrime gangs operating in Pakistan had been arrested through international cooperation and advised users to adopt appropriate security measures to protect both their WhatsApp and bank accounts.

In May, the NCCIA DG said it had cracked down on an organised ring in South Punjab accused of selling sensitive personal data of key individuals for a few thousand rupees.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on May 23, Ali said that four people involved in data selling were arrested.

He had said the group was involved in leaking and selling information linked to important personalities and that investigations had also revealed the involvement of people within different institutions who were providing access to data.