WhatsApp rolls out stricter security mode to curb cyberattacks

WhatsApp has begun rolling out a new, stricter security setting aimed at protecting users from cyberattacks, days after Meta was sued over alleged false privacy claims linked to the messaging platform.

The feature, called Strict Account Settings, introduces a range of additional restrictions designed to reduce exposure to malicious activity. Under the setting, media files and attachments from unknown senders are automatically blocked, while calls from unknown numbers are silenced. Link previews are turned off, and a protection feature that blocks a high volume of messages from unknown accounts is enabled by default.

Once the setting on WhatsApp is activated, two-step verification is automatically switched on, along with security notifications that alert users when the encryption code of a contact changes. The feature also tightens profile visibility, restricting last seen and online status, profile photos, about information and profile links to contacts only.

Group privacy is also strengthened, with only contacts, or selected people from a user’s contacts, able to add them to groups when the setting is enabled.

WhatsApp said the lockdown-style feature will be rolled out globally over the coming weeks and is particularly useful for journalists, public figures and others who may be at higher risk of targeted attacks.

In its description of the feature, the company said Strict Account Settings is an optional security layer that limits functionality in order to reduce vulnerability to cyberattacks, adding that accounts are locked to more private settings and chats with people outside a user’s contacts are subject to additional limitations.

Users can enable the feature by navigating to Settings, then Privacy, then Advanced, and switching on Strict Account Settings. Meta said the setting can only be changed from a user’s primary device and not through companion platforms such as WhatsApp Web or the Windows app.

The rollout comes as Meta faces a lawsuit accusing the company of making misleading claims about WhatsApp’s privacy protections. The suit alleges that Meta stores, analyses and can access a significant portion of WhatsApp users’ supposedly private communications.

As per TechCrunch, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart has rejected the allegations, stating that the lawsuit is without merit and designed to attract headlines.