I’m
betting
you
have
WhatsApp
on
your
phone.
Or,
if
you
don’t
–
I’m
quite
sure
a
member
of
your
family
would.
As
the
most
popular
messaging
app
in
the
world
with
2
billion
active
monthly
users,
it’s
clearly
a
favourite
for
many
of
us
who
want
to
keep
in
contact
with
both
our
Apple
and
Android
friends
in
a
safe
and
encrypted
fashion.
My
relationship
with
WhatsApp
was
a
slow
burn.
I
discovered
it
a
few
years
back
when
it
became
apparent
that
group
messages
to
a
close
cluster
of
girlfriends
weren’t
being
received
by
my
Android
pals.
WhatsApp
solved
that
problem
instantly.
But
then
over
several
years,
I
realized
it
solved
quite
a
few
other
pesky
problems
namely
expensive
and
tricky
phone
calls
when
travelling
overseas
and
my
frustration
at
not
being
able
to
send
a
message
to
a
large
group
of
people.
I
became
a
fan
girl!
But
it
hasn’t
always
been
smooth
sailing
for
WhatsApp
users,
over
the
years
there
have
been
scams
including
the
10th
birthday
scam
where
users
were
offered
the
chance
to
win
1000GB
of
free
data
and
most
recently
the
‘mum
and
dad’
scam.
There
was
also
a
wave
of
controversy
in
2021,
when
new
WhatsApp
owner,
Meta,
introduced
a
new
Privacy
Policy
which
had
a
swathe
of
users
concerned
that
it
would
share
data
with
Facebook.
Many
of
us
threatened
not
to
sign
however
if
we
didn’t
–
we
couldn’t
use
it!
So,
we
all
agreed,
somewhat
reluctantly
in
the
name
of
convenience
and
moved
on.
WhatsApp
Offers
Rolls
Royce
Encryption
But
Is
It
Enough?
WhatsApp’s
default
end-to-end
encryption
sets
it
apart
from
other
messaging
apps
and
is
another
one
of
my
favourite
features.
But
what
does
that
actually
mean?
In
short,
it
means
that
your
messages
can
only
be
read
on
the
recipient’s
phone.
Likewise,
video
and
audio
calls
can
only
be
answered
by
the
intended
receiver.
WhatsApp
encrypts
every
message
sent
on
its
platform
which
means
the
only
people
who
can
decode
it
are
the
sender
and
the
receiver.
WhatsApp
can’t
access
anything
you
share
and
nor
could
a
hacker
if
they
were
to
intercept
a
message.
Love
end-to-end
encryption!
But
this
doesn’t
mean
that
there
are
no
risks
using
WhatsApp.
Like
all
online
platforms,
staying
ahead
of
the
risks
is
the
smartest
way
of
ensuring
you
have
the
best
experience.
And
there
are
several
steps
you
can
take
to
stay
ahead
of
the
threats
on
WhatsApp.
Here
are
my
top
tips:
My
Top
Tips
To
Stay
Safe
While
Using
WhatsApp
1.
Turn
On
Automatic
Updates
Keeping
your
WhatsApp
software
up
to
date
is
essential
as
updates
will
almost
always
include
fixes
or
‘patches’
for
new
vulnerabilities
and
threats.
Why
not
automate
them
to
ensure
that
this
happens?
This
means
you
won’t
be
at
risk
if
you
forget
to
update
the
software
yourself.
2.
Be
Careful
What
You
Share
Never
ever
share
personal
data
or
crucial
financial
information
on
the
app,
in
case
your
device
ends
up
in
the
wrong
hands
or
it
becomes
infected
with
spyware
or
malware.
And
this
goes
for
any
app
–
keep
your
personal
information
nice
and
tight.
3.
Protect
Your
Device
From
Spyware
To
prevent
your
device
from
becoming
compromised
by
malicious
software,
ensure
your
device
has
some
super-duper
mobile
security
software.
McAfee’s
Mobile
Security
software,
available
for
both iOS and Android,
will
protect
devices
of
all
types
from
cyberthreats.
4.
Ignore
Suspicious
Messages
As
anyone
can
message
anyone
on
WhatsApp,
it’s
inevitable
you
may
receive
some
random
or
suspicious
looking
messages.
Always
err
on
the
side
of
caution
and
do
not
respond
to
direct
messages
from
people
you
don’t
know.
If
you
receive
a
promotional
offer
from
a
company
that
is
quite
tempting,
go
directly
to
their
website
to
confirm.
Scammers
will
often
send
out
1000’s
of
emails
with
a
tempting
offer
and
link
to
a
malicious
website
in
the
hope
that
someone
will
‘bite’.
Don’t
be
caught
in
a
phishing
scam!
5.
Add
a
Pin
Number
Enabling
2
factor
authentication
is
one
the
best
ways
to
secure
your
WhatsApp
account
and
ensure
a
hacker
can’t
download
your
account
on
their
phone.
Without
your
6-digit
pin
number,
a
hacker
can’t
get
into
your
account,
even
if
they
get
their
hands
on
the
SMS
code
they
need
to
activate
your
account
on
another
device.
And
it
takes
30
seconds
to
set
up!
6.
Be
Aware
Of
The
Most
Common
WhatsApp
Hacking
Strategy
If
you
haven’t
set
up
your
6-digit
pin,
then
you
are
at
risk
at
being
‘socially
hacked’.
This
is
how
it
works:
a
hacker,
who
has
hijacked
one
of
your
friend’s
accounts,
will
message
you
asking
for
the
6-digit
code
that’s
just
been
sent
to
your
account.
They
will
say
it’s
meant
for
them.
And
as
you
‘know’
this
person,
you
are
likely
to
send
that
code
straight
through
without
even
questioning
them.
But
in
fact,
the
6-digit
code
in
question
has
been
requested
by
the
hacker
for
your
account,
so
the
minute
you
share
it
–
you
will
be
immediately
locked
out!
So,
never
ever
share
your
6-digit
code
with
anyone.
No-one
will
ever
have
a
legitimate
reason
to
request
it.
But
please
don’t
let
these
risks
put
you
off
this
fantastic
messaging
app.
I’m
a
big
believer
in
understanding
the
challenges
so
you
can
prepare
yourself,
go
ahead
and
enjoy!
And
I
haven’t
even
touched
on
some
of
the
more
fun
aspects
of
the
app
–
the
stickers
&
the
status
updates
–
they
can
be
quite
the
conversation
starter!
So
go
ahead
and
enjoy
but
just
make
sure
you’ve
done
your
homework!!
Stay
safe
everyone!
Alex
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