On several occasions we have highlighted the importance of WhatsApp in our lives. It is very likely that it is one of the applications that the most you use on your phone, both for your day to day and for your work. Family, friends, gym colleagues, work colleagues, boss and other employees … WhatsApp is the most popular communication app. And that makes her a target for cybercriminals. So to access your account, it is advisable to be as cautious as possible and use security measures such as two-step verification.
You probably already use this security method. The two-step verification, also known as two factor authentication or two-factor verification, consists of adding an additional layer of security to a task as frequent as accessing your WhatsApp account. In this way, you make it more difficult for whoever wants impersonate your identity to obtain information from your contacts by deception.
We explain why you should activate it in any application or online service that you use and, in particular, how it is activated in WhatsApp, step by step. So you will be a little safer while talking to your contacts without fear of having your account stolen and use it against you.
Activate 2-Step Verification
For a while now, when you sign up for WhatsAppAfter the registration process, you are asked to set up two-step verification. According to the official help of this messaging service, “the two-step verification is an optional function that adds security to your WhatsApp account. When you activate this feature, you create and confirm a unique PIN that is required to access your account ”.
If you haven’t activated this security option yet, you can do so at any time. As usual, you will have to go to the Settings by WhatsApp. Once there, go to Account> Two-Step Verification. Click on Activate and we indicate a six-digit PIN code. Make it easy to remember but hard to figure out. You will need that PIN from now on.
Optionally, in addition to that PIN, you can indicate an email address. What is it for? According to WhatsApp, “we recommend adding an email address as this allows you to reset 2-step verification and it helps protect your account. ” So after entering the PIN and email address, click on Next, confirm the address and, finally, click on Keep or Okay. Now you can access your WhatsApp account in a more secure way and prevent them from accessing it without your permission.
More details to consider. You can turn off two-step verification whenever you want, although it is not recommended. For this you will have to go to Settings> Account> Two-Step Verification> Disable. You can also change the PIN and email address from the same place in the application settings.
The importance of two-step verification
Both WhatsApp and other online services and mobile applications that use two-step verification recommend activating it for security reasons. But, in practice, what do they mean? Two-step verification adds one more step when you have to access your WhatsApp account.
By default, when you access your WhatsApp account, you provide your phone number and a six-digit code that you received via SMS. But, with 2-step verification, you will also have to provide an additional six-digit code set by yourself that only you know.
In addition to this security method, there are more measures that you should keep in mind so that your WhatsApp account does not get stolen. To get started, don’t share the registration code you received by SMS and also the PIN code for the two-step verification. WhatsApp will not ask you just like that. It will only if you have logged in yourself on another device.
Another security measure to protect WhatsApp if someone physically accesses your phone is to activate the lock with fingerprint or facial recognition. In this way, only you can unlock the phone and also WhatsApp.