Big security changes could make transferring WhatsApp easier
The world’s biggest instant messaging app, WhatsApp, has announced three significant security changes coming to the platform, set to improve users’ experience.
The Meta-owned platform announced that atop its existing end-to-end encryption, it was building new features to add extra layers of privacy and more control over messages.
“A lot of this work happens behind the scenes without you having to do a thing. Today, we’re excited to tell you about some of the additional security features we’ll be adding in the coming months,” WhatsApp said in an announcement blog post about the new features.
The three new features include Account Protect in transferring a WhatsApp account to another device, Device Verification to prevent malware and Automatic Security Code functionality to authenticate chats with contacts.
Account Protect: WhatsApp said that this feature could be used when transferring accounts to another device to verify the account and prevent unauthorised attempts at moving them to another device through hacking.
Device Verification: With malware in smartphones on the rise, Device Verification is expected to authenticate a user’s account on the back-end without intervention needed from the user.
Automatic Security Codes: In attempts to secure chats with intended recipients, WhatsApp’s security code verification feature will ensure users are chatting with their intended recipient. To make the process easier, WhatsApp will also roll out a security feature based on a process called “Key Transparency” that will allow users to verify that they have a secure connection automatically.
Alongside announcing the new features, the instant messaging app also encouraged users to turn on its existing security features to improve security.
“These are three additional ways we’re helping secure your account. While there are many things we can do to make security easy for everyone, there are two features that only you can turn on – two-step verification and use of end-to-end encrypted backups,” WhatsApp said.
The two-step verification options are found within the app’s settings menu, while chats set to automatically back up are done through an encrypted file to a cloud server, like Google Drive or Apple’s iCloud.
The official announcement by the Meta instant messenger comes on the tail end of speculation by independent WhatsApp blogs, reporting that the app would soon launch a Lock Chats feature for all users after the function was discovered among some beta testers.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a feature allowing users to lock specific chats using their fingerprint or passcode, which will be available in a future app update.
Once a chat is locked, messages can only be accessed using the user’s authentication, making it nearly impossible for anyone else to open the conversation.
* If any of the new features mentioned above are yet to be available for you, it probably has yet to be rolled out for your device. It should be visible to all users within the coming weeks after the latest update.
IOL Tech