WhatsApp updates its security and password mechanism
Following recent fraud cases and phishing attempts, WhatsApp is announcing several new updates that will better secure your account and ensure you won't be the next victim of scammers.
Following recent fraud cases and phishing attempts, WhatsApp is announcing several new updates that will better secure your account and ensure you won't be the next victim of scammers.
A more complex password
The first and most critical change concerns the two-step verification mechanism. Until today, this additional layer of protection relied mainly on a simple personal code of only six digits. While better than nothing, a combination like 123456 is not always sufficient against advanced attacks.
Now, WhatsApp allows you to set a full-fledged password instead of the relatively simple numeric code, including a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. This move is intended to prevent situations where attackers guess your access code after they have already managed to intercept or fraudulently obtain the one-time verification code sent to you.
At the same time, Meta is expanding its support for Passkeys technology, which allows you to connect to your account securely without remembering passwords, using facial recognition or the fingerprint reader built into the device. This technology, which almost completely eliminates traditional phishing risks because it is local to your device, has already been adopted by more than a billion users. The main innovation in the current update is the ability to set several different Passkeys for the same account. This requested update will help, among others, users who own both an Android smartphone and an iPhone and want a smooth and secure transition between them.
Another feature, available at the first stage for Android users only, focuses on protection against spam or scam calls from unsaved numbers. The incoming call screen will now display much more context and information before you decide whether to answer, including the caller's country of origin and whether there are any mutual groups between you. WhatsApp explains that scammers try to create a sense of urgency and distress in the victim to make them act quickly. The new information provides users with that extra moment for thought before they jump to answer a call from an unknown number.
These updates, which align with similar security measures by Telegram and Signal, are expected to reach all users gradually in the coming weeks, so be sure to update the application.
