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WhatsApp Faces Surge in Spam Calls, Raises Concerns over Security and Hacking Attempts

Receiving spam calls can be annoying, but things can take a much more serious turn if this spam turns out to be a hacking attempt.

On May 6, I received three calls from international numbers. Two from a number with a +7 country code (Russia) and another with a +1 country code (US). Before I could have had the chance to answer my phone or cancel the call, they were dropped. I then took to Twitter to see whether anyone else was having the same problem, turns out I wasn’t alone. This flood of spam occurred just days after the TRAI instructed telecom operators to use AI spam filters for incoming calls and SMS.  Why it matters: Spam is a very common problem in India with 66% of people getting two to three spam calls on a daily basis. Sure, receiving spam calls can be annoying, but things can take a much more serious turn if this spam turns out to be a hacking attempt. While Whatsapp claims that its end-to-end encryption is one of the strongest lines of defense against scams and data theft, it was used to spread the Pegasus spyware in 2019. It is even more disconcerting that Pegasus infiltrated people’s devices through missed calls, according to a Gadgets360 report, just like the ones we are receiving recently. The recent influx of spam on Whatsapp could also be an attempt by scammers to overcome the newly enforced TRAI regulation. Either way, it is a serious concern that requires redressal from Whatsapp.  How is WhatsApp spam being handled:  When contacted about the issue, WhatsApp told Medianama, "We work diligently to try to reduce…

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