"WhatsApp is launching new "Strict Account Settings" that add even more protections against cyberattacks. The feature is built for people at a high-risk of attacks - such as journalists or public figures - and automatically blocks attachments and media from senders you don't know, while silencing calls from unknown contacts. The new setting limits other functionality inside WhatsApp, including turning off link previews, limiting who can add you to a group, and blocking non-contacts from seeing your profile photo, "about" details, and online status."
"WhatsApp has long offered end-to-end encryption, and bolstered its security even more after users were targeted with the NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, which allowed bad actors to gain access to someone's device through a phone call. Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, later sued the NSO Group and received $167.25 million in damages. WhatsApp also shut down a spyware campaign targeting journalists and civil society members last year. Meta is currently facing a lawsuit that claims the company and WhatsApp can access private WhatsApp chats. Andy Stone, Meta's head of communications, has pushed back on these claims, telling Bloomberg that the lawsuit is "a frivolous work of fiction," as WhatsApp uses the Signal protocol for encryption."
WhatsApp is introducing a Strict Account Settings mode that automatically blocks attachments and media from unknown senders, silences calls from unknown contacts, disables link previews, restricts who can add a user to groups, and hides profile photos, about details, and online status from non-contacts. The mode targets people at high risk of sophisticated cyber campaigns, such as journalists and public figures, and restricts some normal functionality. WhatsApp strengthened security after Pegasus spyware incidents and legal action against NSO Group. Meta disputes claims that WhatsApp can access private chats and emphasizes Signal-protocol encryption. The feature will roll out in the coming weeks and must be enabled on a primary device.
Read at The Verge
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