Android users can now breathe a little easier as it is highly unlikely that their text messages sent through WhatsApp will be seen by unwanted eyes. WhatsApp’s deployment of end-to-end encryption is one of the largest implementations across a mobile messaging platform to date. So why are privacy advocates rejoicing over end-to-end encryption, and why should users care?Įnd-to-end encryption provides an added level of security that makes it nearly impossible for anyone other than the intended recipients of the message(s) to read the contents of the message. plans to rollout end-to-end encryption across all platforms in the near future. Although this feature is currently only available for Android users and does not yet apply to group messages, photos, or videos, WhatsApp Inc. This new security comes in the form of end-to-end encryption added by default for one-to-one text messages sent through the app. WhatsApp has since taken measures to remedy this security flaw and is in the midst of rolling out increased privacy features for Android WhatsApp users. Therefore, hackers could potentially see sensitive information such as addresses or personal photos, sent via WhatsApp. When the same key is used for both the sender and receiver’s messages, it makes it exponentially easier for someone to intercept messages sent via unsecured Wi-Fi networks and pull the actual text out of the encrypted data. It was found that WhatsApp was using the same key to decode the encrypted message on both sides of a conversation. At the time, researchers had discovered a weakness in the app’s encryption that made it possible for cybercriminals to read plain text communications sent through the app. Last year, we reported on a security flaw that had been plaguing WhatsApp users. Their recent deployment of end-to-end encryption, one of the largest to date, poses the question: is the security of mobile messaging apps about to change? This month, WhatsApp (one of the largest globally used messaging apps) has gone to great lengths to ensure users’ personal data is protected. Throughout the past year, many mobile messaging apps have come under fire for inherent security vulnerabilities.
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