Scam watch: WhatsApp image fraud is on the rise | What is it? How to stay safe?

Scammers are using steganography to hide malware in seemingly harmless WhatsApp images. This allows them to steal sensitive data like passwords and banking details when the image is opened.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly using WhatsApp as a platform to trick consumers. From risky links to OTP frauds and even "digital arrests," fraudsters are always coming up with new methods to take advantage of people.

Recently, a new scam surfaced that uses seemingly innocuous picture files that contain concealed malware to lure people.

How does this scam take place?

Steganography, a technique where harmful code is encoded into picture files, is how this fraud works. Least Significant Bit (LSB) steganography is a popular type of steganography that conceals data in a media file's least significant bit. Three bytes of data, representing the colors red, green, and blue, usually make up a picture. The fourth byte, also referred to as the "alpha" channel, is frequently where the concealed data is inserted.

The virus is placed on the victim's device automatically when they open the compromised picture. After then, this software can obtain private data, including passwords and banking details. In certain instances, it even permits remote device access. Scammers may phone the victim to coerce them into opening the file if they initially reject the picture.

How to stay safe from this scam?

• Never open a link, picture, or video that is provided to you via WhatsApp from an unknown number.
• In the WhatsApp settings, turn off the auto-download function.
• Don't open big or dubious files, especially if they come from unidentified sources.
• Untrustworthy calls and communications should be ignored and blocked.
• Inform people about these frauds to keep them vigilant.
• Use the official Cybercrime portal to report any incidents: https://cybercrime.gov.in