WhatsApp end-to-end encryption. Whatsapp Encryption
Whatsapp message encryption - what is it and why is it needed? This question is asked by many users of this application, which has already become popular. This and much more will be discussed below.
Why is encryption needed?
Why did the owner of WhatsApp turn on encryption? It is not known for certain what kind of conflict occurred between the law enforcement agencies of countries, their associations and the company's management, but now Whatsapp encrypts completely all the data sent by users. It turns out that only the sender and recipient of messages can see their content. These include:
- Text message, including emoticons.
- Picture.
- Video.
- Photo.
- Compiled (mixed) files.
- Call (audio message).
In fact, it was necessary to enable encryption in order to resist cybercriminals and other users, individuals and legal entities that could have access to this kind of data. Even for the company itself, the correspondence of individual users is now completely closed for viewing. Whether you like it or not, by communicating on this Network using group chats, you will exchange data with the protection of their content, which cannot be removed.
Jan Kum, one of the owners of WhatsApp, believes that the data sent by users to each other cannot be used or viewed by others. That is why you need encryption in Whatsapp. It's called "end-to-end encryption" and is done by default. Decryption is also performed automatically by the device of the recipient of the message.
What is end-to-end encryption?
If you use the latest version of the Whatsapp IOS program for negotiations in Vatsap, all messages sent to the interlocutor are encrypted by special software. This is called end-to-end encryption. The fact of its presence gives absolute guarantees of confidentiality to any user. Since this type of information protection is activated all the time, it is impossible to disable it, and it is not necessary.
Each time you send a message of any size and content, it is encoded separately (this means that you are protected), therefore it has its own key. It is available only to the person who sent the message, as well as the intended recipient of this information.
You can check the encoding in one of the following ways:
It is especially easy to make the second verification option if you and your interlocutor can meet in real life, that is, you are geographically close. In this case, one of you can scan a QR code from a friend’s device (it doesn’t matter if it’s Android or another device) from which he uses WhatsApp, or visually compare all sixty digits.
Please note that even 60 digits of a QR code is not the whole “encryption”, but only part of it. Hiding part of the code from everyone is an additional measure that will ensure the security of communication and information exchange.
If the code does not match, it means that you mistakenly scanned the code of another chat or another user. It may also indicate an outdated version of the program. The message about the lack of encryption that pops up when you try to find out this code says the same thing.
The process described above is called “Verify security code”, but this is not a mandatory procedure.
You can also check any of the chats for compliance with these new security standards. To do this, you need to go to the desired contact in the program, click "View contact", select "Encryption". After successful verification, you can send voice messages, text messages containing emoticons and any other information. Now you don't have to worry. Any intrusions from the outside when communicating are not afraid of you!
How does encryption work?
This type of protection for sent data works as follows:
- User A (more precisely, his device) requests a public key from the server of the company that owns the messenger program.
- A message is sent from A to B, pre-encoded with this key.
- User B's device decrypts the message upon receipt.
So, in today's world, filled with information, both useful and harmful or incorrect, it is necessary to protect data from unauthorized influences and theft. When using WhatsApp, such coding-protection can be carried out automatically.
What is WhatsApp encryption? This question has become popular recently due to the fact that on many smartphones in the messenger of the same name a window appeared with the text: “The messages that you send to this chat and calls are now encrypted. To learn more". This is due to the program update: the developer has introduced a full data encryption system to ensure the safety of its customers.
What is WhatsApp encryption?
How does the protection of information inside the chat work after the innovation? Encryption - that is, reversible data conversion - occurs using end-to-end encryption technology. This is end-to-end encryption of WhatsApp messages, thanks to which no one, even employees of the developer company, will be able to read absolutely anything that is written in the chat. A WhatsApp conversation is encrypted regardless of the number of participants: from two in a personal conversation to many in a group conversation.
Thus, it is easy to answer the question of what it means in WhatsApp: "Messages and calls are encrypted." There is nothing negative about this update. For the first time, this technology was used in the Telegram application. Pavel Durov, who owns this product, launched an updated version after he learned from Edward Snowden's messages about mass wiretapping of calls and viewing messages of US citizens by their own special services. Durov considered it necessary to invent a method that would qualitatively increase the level of user protection, and launched the end-to-end encryption transformation.
It is important to note that in Vatsap data encryption occurs at all levels: encryption is relevant not only for text, but also for all multimedia files: photos, music, videos. Moreover, the new version of the utility encrypts even voice calls.
How to enable whatsapp encryption
The message that encryption of correspondence in WhatsApp is connected did not appear for all users. Therefore, users familiar with the latest news in the software world are wondering: how to encrypt a message in WhatsApp? How to set up this feature? In fact, no tricky manipulations are required. Everyone who has upgraded to the latest version has already enabled encryption. This means that the function is now running by default.
In June 2016, almost all android smartphone users and iphone owners (ios operating system) have this update. But to make sure end-to-end encryption is happening, it's worth checking your version. To do this, you need to enter the settings and make sure that the "Encryption" column appears there.
How to remove encryption in WhatsApp?
If for some reason the user wants to cancel the re-encoding of their web data, they wonder how to turn off encryption in WhatsApp. At this stage, this is impossible, since such a desire - to delete, turn off, remove the recoding - in principle has no logical grounds.
If it is vital for the user, the update can simply be canceled by rolling back the entire system. It is important not to forget to uncheck the auto-update of this program so that history does not repeat itself.
How to enable security notifications?
For this you need:
So, the new final processing of information from the developers of WhatsApp is a great way to make your smartphone more secure and protect yourself from web attacks aimed at monitoring personal information.
Protecting personal data from access by third parties is exactly what users are looking for in modern messengers. For this reason, used in Whatsapp encryption is an indicator that developers care about their customers and prevent information from leaking from chats. Let's take a closer look at how this technology works.
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What is end-to-end encryption
Many users are still asking a reasonable question: “ WhatsApp end-to-end encryption - what is it?". Let's start with the fact that it works by using end-to-end encryption technology, that is, data is exchanged between the sender and the recipient without checking messages by anyone, including even the developers themselves. This applies to all types of information, including:
Technology has emerged as a necessary measure to combat cyberterrorists and government services, which have repeatedly compromised themselves by obtaining data from personal correspondence
How to remove encryption on whatsapp
It is worth noting that it is impossible to remove end-to-end encryption in Watsap. After its introduction, the creators of the messenger left only the opportunity to view the unique cipher code available to the participants in the dialogue. You can do this in the following way:
After that, a combination of numbers and a QR code will appear, which must match that of your contact. 
In conclusion, it should be noted that such innovations are necessary to save personal correspondence and forwarded files, so there is simply no need to turn it off.
The messages you send to this chat and your calls are now encrypted. Therefore, WhatsApp and third parties do not have access to them. This is the window that many WhatsApp users have seen recently, including me.
What does this mean for us? Now communication through WhatsApp, thanks to end-to-end encryption, has become more secure for users.
How does WhatsApp encryption work?
Whatsapp encryption works like end-to-end encryption i.e. no one, including the company itself, will be able to read any content in chats, both between users and in group conversations. Everything is encrypted, including forwarded messages, photo and video materials, voice messages. In addition, encryption is also included for voice calls.
The first popular messenger that introduced encryption was Pavel Durov's product, Telegram. His concept initially provided for secure communication. According to Durov, he was struck by the revelations of a former US NSA employee, Edward Snowden, who reported on the US government's total surveillance of its citizens, as well as citizens and leaders of other states.
How to enable encrypted messages in WhatsApp
You don't need to do anything special to enable encryption. It already enabled by default for all users of this messenger. (and WhatsApp has about a billion of them). It is enough to update your version to the most current one. If one of the participants in a group conversation or chat does not have the latest version, then encryption will be disabled.
You can find out if your interlocutor has the latest version of WhatsApp by looking at his info.
When you see the image of a closed padlock, you can be sure that encryption is enabled with this contact. If the lock is open, then it has not yet updated its version to the latest one.
Is it possible to "hack" encrypted WhatsApp messages?
So far, no one has proven otherwise.
It should be noted, what's under hacking this refers to the interception of WhatsApp traffic by third parties - for example, intelligence agencies, your Internet provider, or an attacker in a cafe where you use an open W-Fi hotspot.
Method reading someone else's correspondence, described by me, uses social engineering, so it is still relevant. When your device falls into the wrong hands, then even the strongest encryption algorithm will not help. To protect yourself from it, put a password on your smartphone, or on the launch of a specific application.
Most modern services, for the sake of security, exclude working with an unencrypted connection. Google is especially active in this area, which by the summer of 2018 is going to “reward” sites with a special badge that do not have an HTTPS certificate.
The topic of encryption is directly related to cryptocurrencies. But in the light of recent events (the situation with Telegram and the statement of Vkontakte), more and more users are interested in the specifics of end-to-end encryption (it is also end-to-end).
As we understand from the context, end-to-end encryption is necessary to protect your own personal data. Without additional protection, files from the cloud, mail and personal documents will be easily viewed by an attacker or other interested party.
What is end-to-end encryption
This is a situation where two parties send messages to each other, and only they have access to this information. The third party cannot decrypt this data because the encryption keys are stored on the devices of the persons in the conversation. Thus, it is impossible to give any one key to the entire system, it is unique for each user. End-to-end allows you to transfer information through different services without worrying about its security. Only the recipient will be able to decrypt the message addressed to him.
Examples of using
End-to-end encryption can be used in a variety of ways. One example is the direct connection of buyers and sellers to an electronic payment system or production. This happens when one company provides a service to another that manages sales, order tracking, and product delivery.
Another example of E2E encryption is the involvement of a third party in the work. Companies often strive to be the leading provider of all services from start to finish. A single end-to-end service provider is common in the technology industry. Encryption decisions arise when a service provider is responsible for the purchase, installation, implementation, maintenance, and user experience.
The most popular are mail, instant messengers and chats.
Messengers with end-to-end E2E encryption
Signal Private Messenger
Signal Private Messenger has been backed by Edward Snowden and has become prominent among the most secure messaging apps. It uses advanced end-to-end encryption to secure all messages.
Signal Private Messenger is free and quite easy to use, and comes with open source code: experts can evaluate the application code for any bugs.
Suitable for Android and iOS, Chrome.
Telegram is a staunch fighter for data encryption
Telegram connects people around the world through a unique network of data centers. It is known to provide such security that it never gives third parties access to your data. When a user turns on the "secret chats" feature, messages can automatically self-destruct on all affected devices. In addition, you can set the option to self-destruct the account within a set time.
The application carries all the necessary functions, such as sending media files, videos, documents of any type, and also allows you to configure bots for specific tasks.
Available for Android and iOS, desktop and web version.
threema
Threema is one of the trusted messaging apps for Android, iOS and Windows phone. The app is paid ($2.99).
The app does not ask for an email address or phone number when registering. Instead, it provides a unique identifier for Threema. In addition to text messages, Threema provides end-to-end encryption for voice calls, group chats, files, and even statuses. Messages sent from the application are immediately deleted from the servers after they are delivered.
Threema uses an open source network and a Cryptographic Library (NaCl) to secure communications.
Whatsapp provides encryption
WhatsApp is one of the most popular and secure messaging apps, trusted by over 1 billion users. In 2014, the app partnered with Open Whisper Systems to integrate the same chat protocol as Signal. I think no extra words are needed here, you are already familiar with this messenger with end-to-end encryption protection
Wickr Me
Wickr Me is another impressive encrypted messaging app for Android and iOS. It encrypts every message with advanced end-to-end encryption. You can send self-destructing messages, photos, videos, and voice messages to other Wickr users.
The app has introduced a Shredder feature that permanently deletes all your chats and shared media content. You can set a timer for messages. Wickr does not require a phone number or email address when registering, and does not store any metadata related to your interactions with it.
Also the app is completely free to use and it does not display any ads.
dust
The app was previously known as Cyber-Dust. All conversations are highly encrypted, Dust does not store messages in persistent storage. You can set messages to be deleted as soon as the recipient reads them.
The app has disabled the ability to take screenshots of messages. It automatically detects and notifies you if someone takes a screenshot - making it one of the safest messaging apps. In addition, Dust is also a social network: it allows you to subscribe, send and receive text messages, stickers, links, videos and more.
Available for free for iOS and Android.
Silence
Formerly known as SMS Secure. The app uses Axolotl to provide end-to-end encryption between messenger users. If the other party does not have the application installed, you can still communicate with the recipient of the messages, just like via SMS.
Silence works like a regular SMS app, so it doesn't require a server or internet connection on your phone. You do not need to register, pay. The application is also open source.
Besides the aforementioned secure text apps, there are a few more. Apple's Facebook Messenger and Imessage also provide encryption, but they've clashed with the authorities. However, many messengers introduce end-to-end encryption in order to be competitive, as the user chooses to keep personal data secure.