WhatsApp rolls out a new feature to enhance the security of the WhatsApp Web. It has added an additional layer of security to WhatsApp Web with a tool called Code Verify. Ever since multi-device capability, more users have increasingly used WhatsApp directly through their web browsers. But with this comes the incessant need for security against attacks. So, it has now come out with a new extension for adding extra security to its web app. Let us talk about what this new tool offers:
“Since WhatsApp introduced multi-device capability last year, we’ve seen an increase in people accessing WhatsApp directly through their web browser via WhatsApp Web. With this shift in mind, we’ve been looking at ways to add additional layers of security to the WhatsApp Web experience”.
WhatsApp in a statement.
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What is Code Verify?
Code Verify is an open-source web browser extension that automatically verifies the authenticity of the WhatsApp Web code being served to a user’s browser. The extension is offered by Meta Open Source. It will be available on the official browser extension stores for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
After this, Code Verify confirms that the WhatsApp Web code hasn’t been tampered with or altered. Meaning that the WhatsApp Web experience that a user is getting is the same as everyone else’s.
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“Code Verify would warn you if WhatsApp were serving a compromised version of WhatsApp just for you. While we have never done this, true security means you shouldn’t have to trust us. Especially if you are someone who might be targeted by a hacker or overreaching government”.
WhatsApp head, Will Cathcart, in a tweet.
Code Verify will also warn you if you have a browser extension installed that is modifying your WhatsApp Web experience. According to Cathcart, they recommend at-risk and security-conscious users like journalists and those in civil society add this to their security toolkit.
How it works?
After installing the extension, Code Verify will automatically run when you start using WhatsApp Web. The extension doesn’t log metadata and user messages. It doesn’t share any information with WhatsApp and Meta. It is also open-sourced, so everyone can verify what it does.
When you use WhatsApp Web, Code Verify can display different messages:
- Network Timed Out: an orange circle with a question mark will show up when your network has timed out.
- Possible Risk Detected: an orange circle with a question mark will show up when there is another extension that interferes with Code Verify.
- Validation Failure: the icon will turn red and show an exclamation mark when the extension detects that you’re using a different and non-authentic code of WhatsApp Web.
- Validated: the icon will turn green, so you’re using an authentic version of WhatsApp Web.
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If you want to learn more, you can find more details by reading the official post from Meta.
