WhatsApp Latest Update Adds End-to-End Encryption
WhatsApp is considered as the best mobile messengers in the world for many good reasons. It works across platforms including Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Symbian, and Windows. It allows easy instant messaging between users of different systems and international carriers. It boasts an easy-to-use interface and allows users to create a group conversation with several contacts.
What’s more, it records your offline messages when you are away, allowing you to read them later on. It also allows you to send and receive multimedia files including photo, videos and even messages. Most important, it works like an SMS exchange, using only the phone numbers integrated in your address book, requiring neither pins nor usernames. It also allows you to block contacts, share a contact’s location, personalize notification sounds, and many other cool features. And if all of these aren’t enough, WhatsApp Messenger just recently got a new update aimed at bolstering its security in the form of end-to-end encryption.
How does it work?
WhatsApp gets its fair share of criticism due to its lack of protection when it comes to handling the risk of chats being intercepted by third parties, but its developer, which currently is Facebook, is quick to respond by securing chats by adding end-to-end encryption that comes with a new system that allows you to check if the new encryption is running.
We have mentioned earlier that since WhatsApp uses only the phone numbers integrated in your address book, it does not require pins or usernames. The end-to-end encryption system addresses this weakness by securing all your chat conversations with a password which only you and the person you are chatting with will be able to see.
The idea for this is that with the code being individual and private, no one will be able to hack your messages without knowing this key.
For this feature to be activated, make sure download the latest update. Once you have downloaded the latest version, you will receive a confirmation saying that your conversations are now encrypted. You will also be given an instruction on how to verify it.
To check if your conversations are secure, you simply need to compare the 12 blocks of five digit codes that appear on your screen with those of the person you are chatting with. From there, you will be given the option to scan a QR code. If both codes are correct, you can rest assured that no malicious person will be able to see your messages.
So, update your WhatsApp now if you still haven’t done so. WhatsApp 2.16.117 is now available for Android devices, so you might want to check it out.
Source | NeuroGadget
