WhatsApp Plans to Add Password Protection for Chat Backups
It became known that the developers of WhatsApp are working on improving the security of cloud backups. Insiders at WABetaInfo found out that the messenger plans to add a new feature that will allow WhatsApp users to protect chat backups with a password, making them available only to one user.
According to reports, the messenger team has been working on the feature since last year. Now, insiders have shared screenshots showing how the option would look on iOS and Android.
• The chat database is already encrypted now (excluding media), but the algorithm is reversible and it's not end-to-end encrypted.
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 8, 2021
• Local Android backups will be compatible with this feature.
The chat DB and media will be encrypted using a password that only you know. https://t.co/WAliLUnF18
The screenshots suggest that users will be able to use a password of at least eight characters to protect their backups from unauthorized access. The same password will be required if you need to restore data from a backup. It is also reported that if the user forgets the backup password, WhatsApp will not be able to help with its recovery. The app will also ask you to verify your phone number.
Even though WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted and only visible to the sender and recipient, this protection does not apply to backups that are stored on Google Drive and iCloud. Once the chats reach these servers, cloud service providers are responsible for their security. In theory, encrypting backups with a password that only the user knows will prevent anyone from gaining access to the chat history.
At the request of law enforcement services, Apple can provide iCloud backups, which include WhatsApp backups. The new feature will allow WhatsApp to solve this problem. Before creating a backup, users will be able to protect it with a password. Thus, no one will be able to access the messenger data.
The new feature is already available in the beta version of WhatsApp. It is unknown when all users will receive it.
Some sources suggest that the messenger plans to add this feature due to the fact that WhatsApp's reputation has already suffered because of the new privacy policy. Although the messenger insists that the new policy will not affect the security of personal messages, WhatsApp competitors, Signal and Telegram, have been experiencing a surge in popularity lately.