WhatsApp is probably one of the fastest growing and most used instant messaging apps. And for the right reasons, it is considered an effective communication tool. Not only is it easy to use, but it also works very well. It even works perfectly with relatively slow internet connections. Malware, hacks, and WhatsApp flaws have been reported recently that put a question mark on your security.
Whether you are using this app to send text messages to your friends and share your photos of your recent family trip with a group of friends, it is essential to ensure that messages or information sent on WhatsApp are secure or not. If you are not careful when using the application, malicious hackers can filter your private chats. There are several steps you must take to protect your security and privacy. So, what are these steps? Let’s find out!
Use a strong password to block WhatsApp
The first step in keeping your WhatsApp data safe is that you do your best to protect the application with a password and PIN. WhatsApp itself does not yet offer this functionality, but there are a variety of third-party applications that you can use to do just that.
It may seem like nothing less than a nervous breakdown and an exhausting task, but if you forget your phone somewhere or lose it, using a unique, strong password can prevent access to the data.
Consider hiding your last sight
If you don’t want people to know if you’re online or not, consider hiding your “last visit” on WhatsApp. It may not seem like vital information to you, but it can be useful to someone who is already harassing you and knows things about you.
If you think your recent activities, information or location is not important to scammers, you are wrong! Any of your information can be useful to these people. So, what you can do is disable or restrict what was last seen on the WhatsApp profile; Privacy on all your mobile devices. The only disadvantage of this is that even you will not be able to see other user’s “last seen”.
Watch out for scams
One of the most important things you need to remember: WhatsApp itself will never contact you through the app, in addition to not emailing users about payments, photos or videos, chats, voice messages, changes. You receive the email only when you contact us by email for help and support.
Any email or message that claims to be from WhatsApp, offering any type of subscription online, or asking you to follow some links to protect your data from hackers is definitely a scam. You should not trust these messages.
Restrict access to your profile photo
Do you use the same profile picture on all social media accounts, including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Twitter? If your answer to this question is yes, you will need to know that WhatsApp sharing is public, and it can be dangerous for you. Putting your WhatsApp profile picture in public means that anyone can download your image and use Google image search to find important information about you.
But the best thing about WhatsApp is that it allows its users to control who can see or download their photo profile and who cannot. This type of security will ensure that only the people with whom you want to share your image for viewing can access it. If you want to restrict access to your profile picture on WhatsApp, just access the “Privacy” menu of the application and change the profile picture privacy to “contacts only” or “Nobody”.
Disable your WhatsApp account if you lose your phone
You need to know that your WhatsApp account cannot be accessed on two or more than two devices at the same time. You can only use this app on a single phone number; therefore, if you lose your phone, you must disable the account on the lost device. Now you must be asking me how I would do this.
Well, first, be sure to replace the lost SIM card to activate your old account using the same number on a different phone. It is important to remember that WhatsApp can only be used by one number on one device at a time. This is a great way to block access to the previous device’s app and ultimately protect your important conversations and data using Spectrum internet.
Final Note:
Even if WhatsApp offers exceptional features, you should not forget that it is not completely secure. You must follow the correct steps to keep your data safe in the app. Make sure to regularly update the app to be protected from security breaches.
