How to protect your WhatsApp account
For many people, WhatsApp is the primary means of communicating with their friends and family. But how do you protect your WhatsApp, an application you use so often?
Protect your WhatsApp: set up two-step verification
Two-step verification is the best protection you can do to keep your WhatsApp account safe. Commonly called 2FA , when you activate it, WhatsApp adds a second layer of protection to access your account.
After enabling 2FA, you will need to enter a six-digit PIN code to log into your WhatsApp account. Even if your mobile is stolen or someone uses a phishing method to steal your SIM card, they will not be able to access your WhatsApp account if they do not know the PIN code.
To enable two-step verification, open the WhatsApp app on your Android or iPhone mobile. Go to settings -> account -> two-step verification -> activate.
On the next screen, it will ask you to enter the six digits of the PIN code, then touch "next" and repeat the same PIN code.
Finally, re-enter your email so that you can reset your PIN code if you ever forget it.
Two-step verification will have it already enabled. To make sure you don't forget the PIN code, WhatsApp will ask you to enter it every time you access the app. But if you ever forget it, don't worry, you can reset it through the email you entered when you turned on two-step verification.
Protect your WhatsApp: activate fingerprint or lock using facial ID
You may already be protecting your Android or iPhone mobile with biometric data. As an additional measure, you can also protect your WhatsApp with your fingerprint or face ID lock.
To do this on your Android mobile, open WhatsApp, press the menu button, then go to Settings -> Settings -> Privacy. Scroll down to the bottom, then tap "Fingerprint Lock".
Activate the “unlock fingerprints” option, then enter your fingerprints on your mobile to confirm them. You can also configure the amount of time before authentication is required after each visit.
If you have an iPhone, you can use Touch or Face ID (depending on your device model) to protect WhatsApp. To do this, open WhatsApp and go to settings -> account -> privacy -> screen lock. There you will have the option to “Require Face ID” or “Require Touch ID”.
After activating the feature, you can increase the period after which WhatsApp will be blocked after each visit.
Protect your WhatsApp: enable end-to-end encryption
WhatsApp encrypts all chats by default, but you might want to make sure. If you are sharing sensitive information through the app, it is best to make sure the encryption is working.
To do this, open a chat, tap the person's name at the top, and then tap "encryption." You will see a QR code and a long security code.
You can compare it with your contact to verify that you both have the same QR code, and if so, it's encrypted.
Don't suffer from scams or transfer chains
Because WhatsApp is very popular, there are a lot of scams every day. A rule to remember is not to open links transferred from an unknown contact. These are normally smishing attacks.
WhatsApp includes a handy “forwarded” tag at the top, which makes it easier to detect the forwarding of these messages.
No matter how tempting the message is, you should not open such a link or provide your personal information to any website or someone you don't know on WhatsApp.
Disable the option "Automatically add me to a group"
By default, WhatsApp makes it easy to add anyone to a group. If you give your number to a seller, you can find yourself in many promotional groups.
You can stop this problem. Either from Android or iPhone, go to settings -> account -> privacy -> groups, then touch "all".
If you've already joined a group that you don't want, open that group chat, then tap the group name at the top, and scroll down and all the 'leave group' option. Finally, touch “leave group” again to confirm.
Change your privacy settings
WhatsApp gives you full control over who can see your private information and in what context. If you want, you can hide your "last visit", "profile picture" and "status" from everyone except your closest friends and family.
To do this, go to settings -> account -> privacy to change these settings.
Block a contact and report it to WhatsApp
If someone is advertising or harassing you via WhatsApp, block them! To do this, open that contact's chat window and then tap the person's name at the top. Then at the bottom you will see the block option.
