The ‘block messages from unknown accounts’ aims to block messages from people you don’t know
WhatsApp might protect your data from web scams with its new feature that it’s reportedly working on. According to WABetaInfo the upcoming feature is named as ‘block messages from unknown accounts’.
The ‘block messages from unknown accounts’ aims to block messages from people you don’t know. The feature is not available in public as of now.
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What’s the update
WABetaInfo , which is a feature tracker, explained that WhatsApp aims to protect users from getting spammed. There has been a rising alarm for the past few days about WhatsApp based frauds and other cyber scams.
A few days earlier CloudSEK, a cybersecurity platform, reported that a malware named ‘Maorrisbot’ is targeting Android WhatsApp users. But what is this malware and how is it affecting your phone? Maorrisbot can get spread through fake traffic challan messages on WhatsApp. After that these messages eventually trick people into installing a malicious app. The report also highlighted details about how the new malware ‘Maorrisbot’ is being used on a larger scale by hackers based in Vietnam. In order to protect its users, WhatsApp will be bringing this feature that will block messages from unknown contacts.
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The feature tracker further explained that the feature will block messages automatically which is quite similar to the existing ‘block unknown callers’. But there is a twist. The new feature blocks the unknown sender, after it crosses a ‘specific limit’. However the exact definition of this ‘specific limit’ is not defined.
Other updates
The main aim is to protect the user from any harmful content such as malicious links or text, and phishing attempts, among others. In addition to this the feature will also block the ‘unlimited’ spam messages that we often receive. Many of us have gone through the stage where our devices slowed down due to the huge number of spam we got. The new feature will also help in preventing that and improve our devices performance.
Moreover WhatsApp aims to provide a smoother experience for its users. The new feature will upgrade the existing ‘block unknown callers’. In addition to this, it can add an extra layer of security, by upgrading the algorithms that detect unnecessary bulk messaging and suspicious actions taking place in your WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is yet to announce the official dates for rolling out the feature in the public. Reportedly it’s still in the testing phase and might need some time to be publicly released.
