10 Tips for More WhatsApp Security | Antivirus Software

The list of violations and misconduct against data protection regulations is now very long. There are always new security vulnerabilities known. Nevertheless, the triumphant advance of WhatsApp seems to be unstoppable: Statista has found that two-thirds of German smartphone owners have installed WhatsApp. 70 percent of Germans write messages every day and spend an average of more than 1,200 messages a month. There are now good alternatives to WhatsApp - if you want to stay loyal to the service despite the WhatsApp risks, for example, because of the long list of friends, you should heed some tips for maximum protection of private data and privacy.

Ten Tips for More WhatsApp Security

·         WhatsApp registration without cell phone number or SIM. You can prevent WhatsApp from accessing your personal data during installation. This is how it works: To register, you use an old smartphone that is blank in terms of data and is no longer in use. On this device, which you will then no longer use, you can have the SMS with the 6-digit registration code sent to you after registering and entering your own mobile number. Alternative: You enter a landline number and after five minutes you will receive the activation code by phone.

·         Avoid confidential conversations via WhatsApp. WhatsApp's encryption is not complete, communication can be overheard by unauthorized third parties. You also avoid metadata being collected.

·         Do not send sensitive data via WhatsApp. Data and documents that are very important to you or that are confidential - such as passwords, bank details, or credit card numbers - or images that make you publicly vulnerable should not be sent via WhatsApp.

·         Deactivate "Last online" and "Read receipt", restrict profile picture visibility. Here's how it works: Settings> Account> Privacy. In the basic settings of the messenger, it is intended that everyone can see when you were last online as a user, whether you have read the received messages and that your profile picture is visible to everyone who knows your mobile phone number. Disadvantage: the other way around, the services no longer work ... Curiosity passé ...

·         If necessary, withdraw access rights at a later date. By default, WhatsApp can access many functions and files on your smartphone: WiFi, Bluetooth, files, photos, SMS, camera, location, contacts, phone ID ... You can, however, revoke these access rights. With iPhones this works per se, but WhatsApp then only works to a limited extent: contact details can then no longer be added.

With Android, access can only be restricted using security apps such as SRT App Guard, but with the same consequence as with iOS. With the free trial version, users can restrict the access rights of four apps. By the way: Google doesn't like this app ;-) and therefore banned it from the Play Store. At Chip learn how to proceed.

·         Ignore and delete spam messages. Did you receive a message from an unknown sender? Or has a known contact sent you a message with content that should be rated as critical (e.g. a download link)? Ignore such messages and delete them immediately. Raise the awareness of those around you, so that the spread of messages of this kind with a high risk of rip-offs or malware can be contained.

·         Do not use WhatsApp in public WiFi networks. Publicly accessible hotspots, especially abroad, rarely encrypt data transmission. Hobby snoopers as well as professional hackers can gain access to your user data in this way.

·         Use the current WhatsApp version. Make sure you are using the latest version of WhatsApp. This prevents you from falling victim to older security vulnerabilities.

·         Link new phone number to WhatsApp. If you change your phone number and do not link your WhatsApp account to the new phone number, you can give the new owner of the recycled phone number access to personal WhatsApp data despite resetting to the factory settings and deleting the app. So that it doesn't get that far, be sure to use the “Change number” setting - accessible via the path: Settings> Account> Change number.

·         WhatsApp web users: virus software is a must. The last vulnerability in WhatsApp concerned a virus that was supposed to be introduced via the desktop version. Therefore: Be sure to install anti-malware and antivirus software.