WhatsApp and Facebook are owned by Meta – the company also owns other new media platforms like Facebook Instagram Messenger WhatsApp Oculus Mapillary Workplace Portal Diem etc.
WhatsApp is one of the most used instant messaging App worldwide and as such that there are various ways hackers can gain unauthorized access into your Account for criminal purposes.
This post is poised to help you learn various methods that will help you protect your WhatsApp account from hackers that can help for the sake of your privacy, money and family.
Here are Five (5) confirmed steps to secure your account.
- Enable 2 Factor Authentication
- Confirm end to end encryption
- Activate Whatsapp Fingerprint Lock
- Use authentic WhatsApp only
- Set up WhatsApp security pin
Enable Two-factor authentication
The WhatsApp two-factor authentication or verification ensures users’ accounts are well secured by granting a device log in access only when they input a code sent to their registered WhatsApp numbers.
When a device gains log-in access to a WhatsApp account, any other device with the WhatsApp contact will be logged out.
What’s more interesting is that you can also include your email address so they can receive a reset pin in case you forget your two-factor pin.
Here’s how to enable two-factor verification:
- Open your whatsapp app
- Go to the settings
- Select account, the select two step verification and tap enable
- A 6 digit code will be sent to your number, enter the six digit code and enter confirm
- Provide an email address and confirm the set email. The email address will be used to send a reset pin in case forgotten passwords
- Tap done.
Confirm End to End Encryption
End to end encryption means that messages can only be seen by the sender and receiver. This means that when you chat with friends, for example.
Your messages are encrypted when sent from your end and decrypted when received from their ends which. This makes it nearly impossible to decode your messages as they transfer through the internet
To verify a contact’s encryption, tap the contact’s name at the top right of your chat screen to access their profile.
Repeat the same process from the person’s phone on your number.
On the contact’s profile, select “encryption”. A page with a unique QR code will be opened.
Tap on “scan code” from the other device and scan the Unique QR code on your phone.
Use authentic WhatsApp only
When downloading the WhatsApp application, ensure to download the verified WhatsApp applications by meta company.
For now, there are two official WhatsApp applications.
- WhatsApp Business
Other unverified WhatsApp applications are illegal and can be easily hacked.
To download WhatsApp, visit your mobile app store and search – “Whatsapp”. It is available for download on both android and IOS devices.
Activate WhatsApp fingerprint lock
To protect your WhatsApp from intrusive eyes, you can activate the fingerprint lock. This feature can be set from your phone settings and is set to ensure you’re the person accessing your account.
To activate this feature, go to your phone settings. Select privacy settings and head to application security.
Select WhatsApp on the list of apps and select the security method to either password, pin, or fingerprint.
Other Tips include:
- Never share your 6 digit otp
The 6 digits OTP sent to your number is used to confirm your access validity before granting access to your WhatsApp account. Under no condition are you to share any OTP with anyone as it can be used to hack your account.
Delete every unwarranted OTP message and block whoever requests you to send it to them.
- Watch out for links
When chatting with your contacts, you receive a link to a particular page or website. Or you come across a link to a page promising cash and opportunities in a group, what do you do?
As much as you can, please avoid tapping those links as most of them contain spyware that can be used to access your information.
- Delete data when changing phones
A lot of people are unaware of this but it is very important to clear all your WhatsApp data when changing your phone.
After uninstalling the WhatsApp app, proceed to delete all data in the file manager. This way, all information regarding your account will be wiped off.
This will not be a problem as long as you back up your messages to WhatsApp cloud storage.
