How to know if WhatsApp is spied on

Are you sometimes afraid that someone will enter your WhatsApp without permission and spy on all the conversations you have with your friends? You're a little paranoid, let me tell you, but deep down you do well to worry about topics like cyber security. As safe as it may be, WhatsApp is the result of man's work and, as such, it is not perfect. This means that it can present weak points or real security holes that could allow any attackers to intercept the communications of other people. How to tell if WhatsApp is spied on

If you want to deepen the subject and want to dispel any reasonable doubt about the privacy of your communications, take five minutes of free time and let me give you a hand. I'll give you some "tips" on how to tell if WhatsApp is spied on and I will suggest some common sense practices that you can implement to make your chats less attractive to the eyes of the bad guys. I assure you that it is nothing particularly difficult, indeed, purely technical there is very little to understand.

I would say, therefore, not to get lost further in chatter and to immediately see what are the steps to take to find out if the communications made on WhatsApp are safe or there is the risk that someone is spying on them. Happy reading and good luck ... I sincerely hope that you will not make disturbing discoveries about your privacy!

Control the accesses of WhatsApp Web / Desktop

As I also explained to you in my tutorial on how to use WhatsApp on PC, services like WhatsApp Web and applications like the official client of WhatsApp for Windows and macOS allow you to use WhatsApp on your computer by "repeating" the app that is installed on your smartphone. This means that you can access your chats only if the phone is connected to the Internet and if the official WhatsApp or WhatsApp Web client has been associated with the smartphone by scanning a QR code. It is an extremely convenient solution, it works well, but presents a small-large risk for privacy: works even if smartphones and computers are not connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

This means that potentially an attacker could gain access to your communications simply by convincing you to lend him your smartphone for a few seconds, by logging into WhatsApp Web or the official WhatsApp client using his computer (or tablet). and keeping the tick on the option active Stay connected. By checking this option, the smartphone remembers the association made with the computer and allows subsequent access to WhatsApp Web and / or the WhatsApp client for PC without requiring a new scan of the QR code and without requiring that the computer is physically close to it .

Verify unauthorized access to WhatsApp Web

Fortunately, there is a very simple way to verify unauthorized access to WhatsApp Web or to the official WhatsApp client for PC and possibly interrupt them. By accessing the WhatsApp settings on your smartphone, in fact, you can view the complete list of accesses made by WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for PC and decide to stop them instantly. By interrupting them, all the computers connected to the smartphone will lose the authorization to access WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for Windows / macOS and will be asked to re-scan the QR code (an operation that the attacker on duty will not be able to perform because he no longer has your smartphone).

Going into more detail, to check the list of accesses to WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for PC on your smartphone, you need to start Whatsapp, press on the button (...) located at the top right (if you use Android) or on the card Settings (if you use iPhone) and go up WhatsApp Web / Desktop.

At this point, take a look at all the active WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop sessions and, if you detect any suspect, stop it. To stop a session of WhatsApp Web / Desktop on Android, press on it and reply Disconnect the warning that appears on the screen. To do this on the iPhone, swipe from right to left on the session to be interrupted and press the button Disconnect that appears laterally.

Do you want to stop all WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop sessions simultaneously? No problem. Pajamas on the voice Disconnect from all computers, confirm (by replying Disconnect to the notice that appears on the screen) and you're done.

Check for spy applications

If in the WhatsApp Web sessions you did not find anything strange but you still suspect that someone may be spying on your communications, try checking for the presence of applications-spy on your smartphone. The spy applications, as their name suggests, are applications that act secretly on the smartphone and allow you to record all the operations that are performed on the latter: the texts typed, the apps started, the phone numbers called and so on . Some of them are really very difficult to identify as they act, in fact, in secret, but there are some clues that can betray their presence. Now I'll explain what they are and how to find them on Android and iOS.

Android

How to know if WhatsApp is spied on

If you use an Android terminal, the first step I recommend you take is to enter the menu settings (the gear icon located on the home screen or in the drawer with the connections to all the apps installed on the smartphone) and check for the presence of applications with administration permissions, that is, with permissions that allow them to control all the activities performed on the device. Then select the items Safety is Device administrators and check if among the apps listed on the screen that opens there are applications that you do not know and that could hide espionage intentions. If there are app names you don't know and you want to make sure of their nature, do a simple Google search.

If among the applications with administration permissions you find one that has espionage purposes, deactivate it immediately by removing the check mark from its icon and uninstall it. To uninstall it, go to the menu Settings> App Android, select it from the list of apps installed on your device and press the button Uninstall.

From the same screen you can also check if there are "suspicious" applications that do not have administrator permissions but which are still installed on your smartphone: if you find some, proceed with their removal by following the instructions I have just given you (or by going to read my tutorial on how to uninstall Android app).

If you have subjected your smartphone to the procedure root, I suggest you also open the application SuperSU / SuperUsers and check the list that have root permissions. Among them there could also be hidden some apps with espionage purposes that someone installed on your device while it was unattended.

Also in this case, if you notice some "suspicious" name, act promptly by revoking the root permissions of the app that you consider potentially dangerous and uninstalling it from the device. To monitor the recent activity of apps that need root permissions, select the tab with the log by SuperSU / SuperUser.

Other clues that could reveal the presence of a spy app on the phone are the excessive battery consumption it's a abnormal overheating by the latter.

Spy app on the phone

Let's be clear, these are two very generic "symptoms": they could also be caused by apps that have nothing to do with phone monitoring activities, but it is still better to investigate when they occur. To do this, I recommend using the app Wakelock Detector which constantly monitors the status of the smartphone and lets you know which applications keep the processor "awake" causing the device to overheat and leading to abnormal battery consumption. To find out more about how it works, read my tutorial on how to save Android battery.

If despite all these precautions you continue to fear being spied on. You just have to save all the data and make a nice "formattone". Doing this will delete all apps and all data from your phone. You will restore Android to the factory state and, if present, you will also delete the spy apps on the device. If you need it, in my tutorial on how to reset Android find all the information you need on how to format an Android terminal.

iOS

How to know if WhatsApp is spied on

iOS, the iPhone operating system, makes the installation of spy apps quite difficult (unless the phone has been subjected to the jailbreak, in that case the system is more "open" and allows a much simpler installation of the spy apps) but this does not mean that it is not immune.

How to tell if WhatsApp is spied on. To check for suspicious apps on your "melafonino", open the menu settings (the gear icon located on the home screen) and go up General> iPhone free space. After a few seconds of waiting, a list of all the apps installed on the device will appear. If you notice some "suspicious", select it and press the button Delete app to remove it.

If you use an iOS version prior to 11, you can access the same menu by going to Settings> General> Space on device and iCloud and pressing on the voice Manage space related to the field Device space .

Another way to find potential spy apps on the iPhone is to check the list of custom profiles installed in the system. Custom profiles are for advanced applications. Such as those that provide for the use of VPN, to have greater freedom of action within iOS. Then go to the menu Settings> General> Profile and device management. Check if there are "suspicious" profiles set on the iPhone. If you can't find the custom profiles menu, it means that no apps installed on your phone currently use them.

To conclude, especially if you have an iPhone subjected to jailbreak, I recommend you open the browser (Safari). Try connecting to the following addresses: localhost: 8888 is localhost: 4444. These are two addresses used by some apps for remote monitoring of mobile phones. Through which the apps in question reveal their presence and allow you to adjust their settings.

Another "secret technique" that allows to reveal the presence of some spy apps is to open the dialer and dial the number *12345. If after entering one of these codes. You are in front of a login screen or a real control panel. It means that a spy app is installed on your iPhone. To remove it, open Cydia, search for packages related to the latter and remove them. If you need a hand, you can read my tutorial on how to use Cydia in which I illustrated some basic concepts related to the operation of this alternative store for iPhone (and iPad) jailbroken.

If after doing all these tests your iPhone is "clean" but you still suspect that someone is spying on your activities. You just have to make a nice backup of the data and then a nice reset of the device. You find it explained how to reset iPhone in my tutorial dedicated to the topic.

Avoid public Wi-Fi networks

As I have been able to explain to you in numerous circumstances. By now WhatsApp uses a system of end-to-end encryption which makes messages, photos and videos visible only by legitimate senders and recipients. To explain it in simple words, each message has its own unique lock and key. That can only be used by those who send and receive messages. All the others, including the WhatsApp servers, see the messages in encrypted form, therefore incomprehensible. In short: even trying to "Snort" a wireless network in which WhatsApp is used, any attackers would get nothing but illegible information.

Without prejudice to what has just been said, however, you should not take unnecessary risks. On the other hand, the discovery of new security holes is on the agenda and even the WhatsApp system, one day or the other, could be compromised. My advice is therefore to pay attention to the Wi-Fi networks you connect to and to avoid public Wi-Fi networks. As is well known, they are the favorite hunting ground of the "spies". When you are not at home or in the office, forget about open access points and prefer your operator's 3G / 4G network. You will consume some data traffic, but you will gain in safety.

If you want, more info on the encryption system used by WhatsApp, consult the official site of the application.

Other useful tips

At this point, you should be able to figure out if your WhatsApp is being spied on. Having said that, never forget to practice all of those little common sense tricks. That allow you to sleep relatively peacefully and to reduce the possibility of being spied on. What are these things I am talking about? Here they are listed quickly.

• Do not leave the phone unattended - I know, it is trivial, but it is precisely in these platitudes that we often get lost. On the other hand, it takes two minutes to install a spy app or to make unauthorized access to WhatsApp Web / Desktop with a phone.
• Set a secure PIN - another apparently trivial, but fundamental device. If you set a secure PIN on your smartphone (PIN, not a sequence, which is much easier to guess with a glance from a distance). You will not be able to allow any attackers to unlock the device to install spy apps or access WhatsApp Web / Desktop. To set a secure PIN on Android, go to the menu  Settings> Security> Screen Lock> PIN; to do it on iOS go to  Settings> Touch ID and code> Change code (or Add code).
• Check your access to WhatsApp Web / Desktop often - just as explained above.
• Don't be afraid if someone says they know your WhatsApp access times. - There are apps that allow you to find out the dates and times of access to WhatsApp by a user. By simply typing the mobile number. They take advantage of public data available on WhatsApp servers. Therefore they cannot be properly defined as spy apps and do not allow in any way to capture communications. They are a bit "disturbing", yes, but not dangerous if we want to simplify the discussion as much as possible (then they don't always work properly)!
• Do not use WhatsApp for ultra-confidential communications - WhatsApp is a closed source application. Its source code cannot be thoroughly examined. And therefore it is not known whether there is any security flaw capable of exposing users' communications to privacy risks. In light of the above, it is better to turn to equally safe but open source solutions, such as Signal for Android is iOS which uses the same end-to-end encryption system as WhatsApp but is open source and therefore there is greater control over it by the community. Even Edward Snowden, the main architect of the datagate who has led to the publication of many confidential documents of the US government, uses it!