My WhatsApp was hacked: what to do
Updated: August 2026 · By César Cerrudo
If you suspect someone has taken control of your WhatsApp account, act fast — but don't panic.
The initial goal is not to find out who did it. It is to regain control, keep the attacker from deceiving your contacts, and make sure the problem isn't bigger than WhatsApp.
1. Try to recover your account
Sign back in to WhatsApp using your phone number and follow only the procedures offered by the official app.
Don't trust people who show up on social media claiming they can "get your account back". A second scammer can take advantage of someone who has already been attacked.
2. Check whether your phone number still works
If your phone suddenly loses signal and you can't make calls or receive SMS, the problem may not be limited to WhatsApp. You could be facing an attack known as SIM swapping, where someone gets your phone line transferred to another SIM.
In that case:
- contact your phone carrier immediately;
- check whether anyone has requested a new SIM;
- ask them to block any unauthorized changes;
- review the accounts that use your phone as a recovery method.
3. Protect your email
Many digital accounts are connected to each other. If someone controls your email, they can try to recover WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, financial services and many other accounts.
Change your email password if there is any suspicion it was compromised. And if you used that same password on other services, change it there too.
4. Warn your contacts
An attacker can impersonate you and send messages like:
Warn your family, friends and coworkers through another channel. You can simply say:
5. Review connected devices
Once you recover the account, check which computers or devices have access. Sign out of any session you don't recognize.
6. Turn on extra verification
Once the account is recovered, enable the available additional security features.
Never share verification codes you receive by SMS, WhatsApp, email or an authenticator app.
An authentication code is the equivalent of a key. If someone asks you for that key, they are probably trying to get in.
How to keep it from happening again
Three habits dramatically reduce the risk:
- don't share codes;
- use unique passwords on related accounts;
- be suspicious of messages that create urgency.
Most of these attacks don't start by breaking WhatsApp. They start by convincing the victim to voluntarily hand over something the attacker needs.
Always doubt first, then verify.
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César Cerrudo is a professional hacker and cybersecurity researcher with more than 25 years of experience. He helped secure technologies from Microsoft, Oracle, Twitter and IBM, and is the author of A Hacker's Security Guide, a free guide that helps people, families and organizations learn to protect themselves in the digital world.
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