Chinese hackers targeting WhatsApp to extract personal information: Indian Army

The Indian Army has warned WhatsApp users to stay alert on the social media platform as the Army alleged that Chinese hackers are targeting Indian users to extract personal data.

Indian Army on Sunday released a video on microblogging site Twitter, urging people to use Whatsapp safely.

"Stay cautious, stay alert, stay safe! The Chinese were penetrating the digital world," tweeted Indian Army’s official handle, the Additional Directorate General of Public Interface (ADGPI).



“Chinese are using many platforms to penetrate your digital world. WhatsApp groups are a new way of hacking into your system. Chinese numbers barge into your groups and start extracting all the data,” the video tweet by the ADGPI said.

Four months ago, Army had also warned its soldiers posted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) against using a host of applications, including WhatsApp.

The Army advised users to be vigilant and asked them to conduct regular audits of their groups to see if any number starting with +86 had joined a group.

Army also warned mobile users to stay extra cautious while changing their mobile numbers.

“In case you change the SIM, destroy it completely,” the Army said.

"The information mined from such groups was being leaked to Chinese hackers," it added.