Alarm over WhatsApp security in Kosovo as businesses report account compromises

For several days, a number of businesses in Kosovo have reported problems with the security of their WhatsApp accounts, where unauthorised persons are suspected of having taken control of the accounts and then sent advertising messages and spam.

The concern over the matter was first raised on social media by Darsej Rizaj, co-founder of “Shkolla Digjitale” and “StarLabs”, while afterwards, according to him, a large number of businesses reported the same problem.

Rizaj told Telegrafi that there are several ways through which an attacker can obtain the WhatsApp verification code without the user’s knowledge.

He mentioned, among others, obtaining the code via voicemail, call forwarding, SIM card cloning (SIM swap), intercepting SMS on the network through SS7 vulnerabilities, linking devices via fake QR codes, and compromising Meta Business accounts for WhatsApp Business API users.

According to Rizaj, in the case experienced by his own business, after a security audit none of these methods was identified as the source of the compromise.

“The SMS arrived during the night, the computers were not turned on and no one was present in the office to show the code in any way,” Rizaj stated.

He raised suspicions that the problem may be linked to the security of the telecommunications network, but presented this as a possibility that, in his view, should be investigated by institutions and operators.

“This is a serious problem at the national level, because the suspicion may be that the telecom in Kosovo has been hacked and our SMSs can be seen. This goes beyond the WhatsApp problem, because we know very well that bank accounts, email and almost our entire lives may be at risk, since we have almost every service linked to SMS,” he added for Telegrafi.

Rizaj has called on phone operators and responsible institutions to investigate the case and give public clarifications.

“The situation may be much more serious than it looks at first glance,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Telegrafi has also contacted Telecom of Kosovo regarding these complaints.

Telecom of Kosovo confirmed that they have received complaints from customers about such problems, but said the problem relates to the WhatsApp service and not to the functioning of the Vala network.

According to Telecom of Kosovo, operator Vala’s services have functioned normally.