Meta today announced a number of new security features for its messaging platform, WhatsApp. The company already offers several security and privacy features to its users. The list also includes features such as two-step-verification and group privacy controls, in addition to end-to-end encryption, or E2EE. Today the company expanded the list by introducing three new security features.
account protect
As of now, there is no checking when users switch from one device to another. This narrow window can be used by malicious hackers to gain access to a user’s account. Now, the company is making it safer for users to switch their WhatsApp account to a new device. The company says that from now on, the company may ask users to verify their identity on their old devices as an additional security check. “This feature can help alert you about an unauthorized attempt to move your account to another device,” the company explained in a blog post.
device verification
Mobile device malware is one of the biggest threats to people’s privacy and security today as it can take advantage of a user’s phone without their permission and use their WhatsApp to send unwanted messages. To prevent this, the Meta-owned messaging app has added checks to help authenticate users’ accounts without requiring any assistance from the company.
“When someone receives a message his/her WhatsApp client wakes up and fetches the message offline from WhatsApp servers. This process cannot be impersonated by malware that steals authentication keys and attempts to send messages from outside the user’s device.
automatic security code
Lastly, the company says that in order to make the process of receiving automated security codes easier and more accessible to everyone, the company is launching a security feature based on a process called “Key Transparency.” This feature allows users to automatically verify that they have a secure connection. “What this means for you is that when you click on the Encryption tab, you will immediately be able to verify that your personal conversations are secure,” the company wrote.
As far as availability is concerned, WhatsApp says that these features will be available to all users in the coming months.
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