Social media users in Oman have taken to Twitter to request authorities to implement measures to prevent hacking of WhatsApp accounts.

Several hashtags on the micro-blogging site are being used to highlight WhatsApp numbers being hacked. The requests began after messages were circulated on social media about unidentified people gaining access to people's WhatsApp accounts, then used to send out messages posing as the owner. Some tweets mentioned that the owners had reached out to numbers published by government agencies to help prevent blackmail.

However, an official at the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), speaking to Times of Oman, pointed out that WhatsApp was not in the jurisdiction of the TRA and that anyone who felt they had been hacked, should reach out to the app developers instead to restore the account. He also suggested that users enable two-step verification features to protect their accounts.

SOURCE: timesofoman