New Delhi: We are living today in a data-driven world, where data breaches can affect millions or possibly even billions of people at a time. This was seen in the recent alleged WhatsApp data breach controversy, which the company has denied.
Mashable India, a digital media platform, reported that according to a recent allegation from Cybernews, someone managed to hack into WhatsApp and acquired the personal information of almost 500 million users, which is now purportedly for sale. Later, a spokesperson for WhatsApp on Monday said there is no evidence of a ‘data leak’ from the company.
However, data breaches are nothing new because even the data from some of the biggest companies have had such incidents. So, it becomes the responsibility of the users to take the right steps to make their data safe and private. Here are some tips that would be helpful in making WhatsApp more secure.
» Check chat encryption: Although all WhatsApp chats are encrypted by default, double-checking it while sharing sensitive information is still a good idea. To verify the encryption, tap on the contact’s name in the chat window and then tap on Encryption.
» Enable two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication provides protection by adding an extra layer of security to your account to ensure that your data isn’t accessed by someone else. So if a service supports this feature then you should be using it. To activate two-factor authentication on WhatsApp, go to Menu – Settings – Account – Two-step verification – Enable.
» Turn security notifications on: With this feature, every time a new device accesses an existing chat, a new security code is generated and a notification is sent when this security code changes. To enable it, go to WhatsApp – Settings – Account – Security notifications and then tap on ‘Show security notification’.
» Encrypt cloud backups: WhatsApp backups on Google Drive are not encrypted by default. Without this feature, a major gap will remain in your privacy protection. Turn on end-to-end encrypted backup, go to Settings – Chats – Chat Backup – End-to-end Encrypted Backup and tap Turn On. Following this create a password and wait for your encrypted backup.
» Always check unknown links: These days, it could be difficult to determine whether certain scam messages and links are malicious. Copy the link and check it on sites like Norton Safe Web, PhishTank, and others to prevent clicking on these. By developing this habit, you will stop clicking on harmful links.
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