WhatsApp chats are more than just simple
texts. We all know it. We share photos, videos, bank account details, contacts
and what not on WhatsApp. And with so much personal data, if you take privacy
and security of WhatsApp for granted then its jackpot for wicked minds.
ESET advices WhatsApp users by providing top
security tips to stay secure on their personal chats. WhatsApp recently
announced that it has more than 700 million monthly active members, sending a
combined total of 30 billion messages a month. That’s an enormous volume of
personal information being communicated, and even though WhatsApp now encrypts
all of its messages and data, it pays to be secure with your chats. Here are
eight top WhatsApp security tips
1) Lock WhatsApp
One of the best WhatsApp security tips is to
protect the app with a password or PIN. WhatsApp itself doesn’t offer such a
function, but there are third-party apps that do. It might seem cumbersome but
if you lose your phone, it’s going to prevent anyone else accessing your chats.
Messenger and Chat Lock, Lock for WhatsApp and Secure Chat are three Android
apps that do just that.
2) Block WhatsApp photos from appearing in photoroll
It’s fair to assume that your WhatsApp
conversations might occasionally take on a distinctly ‘personal’ note. If
you’re sharing images with your significant other, the last thing you want is
for those images to appear in your general photostream, popping up when you let
a friend swipe through your holiday snaps.
On iPhone, it’s easy to fix: Go into your
phone’s Settings menu, then ‘Privacy’, ‘Photos’, and deselect WhatsApp from the
list of apps whose images are fed into the photostream.
Android users will have to get under the hood
a little bit. Using a file explorer app like ES File Explorer, find WhatsApp’s
‘Images’ and ‘Videos’ folders. Create a file within each called ‘.nomedia’.
That will stop Android’s Gallery from scanning the folder.
Secondly, if you exclude WhatsApp images from
your photoroll, and lock the app as above, it provides another layer of
security if your phone is stolen or hacked into – but it won’t be a 100%
bulletproof solution.
3) Hide ‘last seen’ timestamp
Not sure you want people to know when you’re
coming on and offline? It may not seem like vital information, but if a scammer
already knows some other things about you, adding that last piece of contextual
information could prove useful to them – whether you’re awake or not; at home
or overseas; coming out of the cinema or getting off a flight. Or you just
might not want contacts – especially colleagues, or your boss – to know you’re
checking WhatsApp at your desk. You can disable or restrict who sees your ‘last
seen’ time in WhatsApp’s ‘Profile'; ‘Privacy’ menu, in Android, iOS, Windows or
Blackberry. Be aware though, if you turn it off, you won’t be able to see other
users’ ‘last seen’ times either.
4) Restrict access to profile picture
Is your profile photo one you’ve used
elsewhere – on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Maybe it’s even on your company’s
website somewhere. If it is, and your WhatsApp sharing is public, anyone you’ve
ever spoken to – even if you’ve just replied to an unwanted message – can download
your pic from your WhatsApp profile and, using Google Image search, very
quickly find out more about you. Set profile picture sharing to “contacts only”
in the Privacy menu.
5) Watch out for scams
WhatsApp itself will never contact you through
the app. Also, WhatsApp does not send emails about chats, voice messages,
payment, changes, photos, or videos, unless you email their help and support to
begin with. Anything offering a free subscription, claiming to be from WhatsApp
or encouraging you to follow links in order to safeguard your account is
definitely a scam and not to be trusted.
6) Deactivate WhatsApp if you lose your phone
WhatsApp offers users simple and effective
security tips to keep control of your account if your phone is lost or stolen.
As well as locking your SIM card through your network provider, WhatsApp
recommends that you immediately activate WhatsApp with the same phone number on
a different phone, with a replacement SIM. The app can only be used by one
number on one device at a time, so by doing so you instantly block it from
being used on your old phone. If that’s not possible, WhatsApp can deactivate
your account.
7) Be careful what you talk about
Last but not least, use the same common sense
you would with any form of digital communication. Don’t send personal
information if you can possibly avoid it – addresses, phone numbers, email
addresses – and never send your bank, social security or credit card details,
or your passport or other identification details.
8) Remember to log out of WhatsApp Web
WhatsApp recently made a lot of noise with the
launch of WhatsApp Web. The mirroring service makes life easier while working
on PC. However, most users are unware that they should ideally log out of
WhatsApp Web on Google Chrome browser either from their mobile or the browser.
Just imagine your collegues reading your chats on a large screen while you
stepped out for a coffee break.
