WhatsApp New Security Features: How it Protects from Hackers

To keep users’ data secured and protected from unauthorized access by hackers, WhatsApp has integrated new security features.

WhatsApp now has three end-to-end encryption security features that help users to protect their WhatsApp account from malware, and unauthorised account switching.

How Does it Protect Your Account?

WhatsApp now allows switching your account to different devices. This new feature will identify if anyone is switching accounts if this is not you.

It means if you’re login into your account from an old device to a new one, you will be asked to verify on your old device to check if it is actually you or someone else who’s trying to access your account without your permission.

When this feature is enabled there will be a pop-up screen with details about switching your account, and whether you choose to allow this or not.

Device Verification to Protect from Malware

Moreover, WhatsApp has also added a new device verification tool that is developed to keep the devices protected from malware attacks.

Use of Cryptographic Keys

WhatsApp uses a number of cryptographic keys to ensure that communications across the app are end-to-end encrypted.

One of these is the authentication key, which allows WhatsApp users to connect to the WhatsApp server to re-establish a trusted connection.

This authentication key allows people to use WhatsApp without having to enter a password, PIN, SMS code, or other credentials every time they turn on the app.

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The main motive is to protect the authentication key that basically allows a WhatsApp client to connect to the original server for a trusted connection.

When such malware attacks and hack the device it can steal your authentication key that hackers can use to get access to your account to send spam, and phishing messages to anyone misusing your phone.

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Here device verification security feature deals with such threats by identifying any such activities. This is a built-in tool and doesn’t need any action from users on the outside, you just need to update your WhatsApp application from Google Play.

Automatic Security Codes

WhatsApp messages, calls and videos are all end-to-end encrypted. And meanwhile, it allows users to verify if their chats are protected.

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You can check this by opening the chat and selecting the ‘Encryption’ option. And further, WhatsApp is now rolling out a feature called “Key Transparency”.

This will help users automatically verify that the connection is secure. The same can be found under the encryption tab of the WhatsApp conversation.

“WhatsApp has already built Device Verification to benefit from how people typically read and react to messages sent to their device.

When someone receives a message, their WhatsApp client wakes up and retrieves the offline message from the WhatsApp server.

This process cannot be copied by malware that steals the authentication key and attempts to send messages from outside the users` device,” it added.