A concerning trend of fraudulent calls on WhatsApp is targeting Russians, attempting to extract personal information about them and their families. Viktor Ievlev, head of information security at Garda group of companies, shared this view, cautioning Russians about the potential risks associated with these conversations.
According to Ievlev, “The integration of artificial intelligence into cyberattacks makes them more stealthy and effective. Cases are especially dangerous where a person doesn`t even need to click on anything – simply receiving a message or call can be enough for malicious software to begin operating.”
He recalled a vulnerability found in the messenger back in 2019 that allowed malicious code to be installed on a victim`s device after just one call, without any user interaction.
Until recently, another issue exploited by the Graphite spyware (developed by Israeli company Paragon Solutions) existed. Ievlev explained, “Attackers would add targeted users to a group chat and send a PDF file. The messenger automatically processed the attachment, enabling Graphite to be installed. This Trojan allowed attackers to collect messages, files, and location data from the device.”
He added that Russians should adhere to fundamental digital security practices: enable maximum protection in messengers including all available passwords and two-factor authentication, disable automatic file downloads, and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use. Furthermore, he advised assuming that a device might already be compromised and therefore not storing encryption keys, passwords, or backups directly on it.
Meanwhile, the State Duma has recommended disabling calls from unknown numbers in Telegram and WhatsApp. Sergey Boyarsky, head of the parliamentary committee on information policy, suggested this feature should be activated on devices used by children and the elderly to enhance their protection against fraudsters.
