WhatsApp
is probably one of the most used apps on any smartphone. And for the
right reasons, it is a great communication tool and works well even with
relatively slower connections.
File photo
Whether you are looking to text someone or want to send an image
from your holiday to a group of friends, you are likely to pick up
WhatsApp.
Just like any other app or a web-based tool, WhatsApp can also leak
your private data if you are not careful. Now, ESET, a company that
offers security solutions, including nifty anti-virus apps for
smartphones as well as computers, has come out with a few tech tips.
The company says that every WhatsApp user should use the following tips to keep his or her WhatsApp chats safe and secure:
1. Lock WhatsApp
One of the best WhatsApp security tips is to protect the app with a
password or PIN. WhatsApp itself does not offer such a function, but
there are third-party apps that do. It may seem cumbersome but if you
lose your phone, it is going to prevent anyone else from accessing your
chats.
2. Block WhatsApp photos from appearing in photo roll
It is fair to assume that your WhatsApp conversations may
occasionally take on a distinctly ‘personal’ note. If you are sharing
images with your spouse, for example, 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 is 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 per cent
bulletproof solution.
3. Hide ‘last seen’ timestamp
Not sure if you want people to know when you are going 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 can prove useful to them, whether you are awake
or not; at home or overseas; coming out of the cinema or getting off a
flight. Or you just may not want contacts, especially colleagues, or
your boss, to know you are 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 have 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
have ever spoken to — even if you have just replied to an unwanted
message — can download your picture 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. One number on one device can
only use the app at a time, so by doing so, you instantly block it from
being used on your old phone. If that is not possible, WhatsApp can
deactivate your account.
7. Be careful what you talk about
Last but not the 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, such as addresses, phone numbers and email
addresses, and never send your bank, social security or credit card
details, or your passport or other identification details.
Credits: Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment