How secure is WhatsApp?
Wondering how safe WhatsApp really is? In this article, we review WhatsApp security for you.
How secure is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a messenger that is used worldwide to send messages. It is enough to have your friends' mobile phone numbers stored in the address book, because WhatsApp automatically adds them to the WhatsApp contact list when they are used for the first time. But how secure is the handling of this data with WhatsApp really? Our summarized points help you to make your own judgment:
- WhatsApp encrypts all chats and calls to protect its users. When sending a message, so-called end-to-end encryption is used, in which the data is only decrypted on the recipient side. Encryption is always activated and cannot be deactivated.
- However, the Guardian recently criticized an alleged security vulnerability: It is possible for WhatsApp to create new keys for users who are offline and to access messages that have not yet been sent. Complete chat histories can also be called up in this way. The users are not aware of this.
- The WhatsApp developers themselves said in a statement that there is no security hole, since WhatsApp governments do not give insight into their systems. The aspects criticized by the Guardian only served to ensure that messages are not lost when changing a security key.
- WhatsApp does not encrypt metadata. This makes it possible to see who was chatting with whom and when.
- The display of security notifications can be set under "Settings -> Account -> Security". As a result, you always know immediately if a contact's security number has changed. The chats are only encrypted if you and your contacts use the latest WhatsApp version.
