Every day the cyber crime world is entering a new area, which brings a new challenge for the investigators. Frauds have taken varied dimensions with the passage of time. With the advent of digital age and online transactions, however, fraudsters too have upgraded their skills and latched on to innovative methods to rob unsuspecting people of their hard-earned money. Yesterday, the West Jaintia Hills district police have chosen to widely publicise its advisory for residents to be vigilant after “multiple” cases were reported on how WhatsApp accounts were compromised by an unknown hacker. The perpetrators have been sending messages to the contacts of the affected users, demanding money, and creating panic and fear among those receiving the messages.
WhatsApp parent company Meta had said that Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions had targeted scores of its users, including journalists and members of civil society. The WhatsApp official said it had detected an effort to hack approximately 90 users using zero-click hack technique, a type of hacking or cyberattack where a hacker can gain access to users’ devices without them having to do anything. This means that users don’t have to click a link, download a file, or open an attachment – the hacker exploits a vulnerability in the software to get in. Hackers can then use these attacks to install spyware, steal sensitive data, or take control of the device, which may include a smartphone or a laptop. These hacks are very dangerous because they’re hard to detect and prevent. Users may not even know their devices have been compromised.
In 2019, Meta sued the Israeli firm NSO Group in the Pegasus spyware case for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp users’ accounts using the Pegasus spyware. The attack infected smartphones with the spyware via a phone call. It didn’t matter whether a user answered the call or not. Once a phone was infected, the Pegasus spyware took control over a users’ camera and microphone remotely, and was able to access their call records, look through their messages, emails, access their locations, etc.
On May 6, 2025, the 5-year-long legal battle between Meta and NSO Group concluded, and the jury trial ruled that the Israeli company was guilty of hacking into the accounts of thousands of WhatsApp users. Meta said that the verdict is an important step forward for privacy and security as the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone. Nevertheless, all complaints in West Jaintia Hills began since May 12, 2025 which proves that hacking is still unleashed and users must be on an alert.
The digital world evolves, so do cyber threats. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, exploiting vulnerabilities to their advantage. The safe side is to activate “silence unknown callers” which help filter out scam and spam calls, setting a two-step authentication process and most important is to avoid sharing any personal information on the app.
