Meta’s instant messaging subsidiary, WhatsApp, has officially introduced proxy support to combat internet subversion tactics used by repressive governments.
announced by the company. blog post It says the new feature is designed to put power in people’s hands so they can maintain access to WhatsApp even if their connection is blocked or interrupted.
“We have celebrated the start of 2023 with private messages and phone calls, but due to the internet shutdown, many people are unable to reach their loved ones,” reads the blog post.
“To help you, today we are launching proxy support for WhatsApp users around the world.”
according to slash next CEO Patrick Harr said the new capabilities are particularly useful given that the biggest gap in security posture today stems from the newly hybridized employee personal data of employees.
“Attackers are targeting employees through unprotected personal communication channels such as WhatsApp to carry out their attacks,” Harr said. Information security“Then it becomes just a matter of laterally penetrating the tissue from an external stepping stone.”
WhatsApp added that using proxies allows users to connect to the app through servers set up by volunteers and organizations around the world.
To this end, the company owned by Meta will: guide It is designed to allow users to set up their own proxy server. another Indicates how users connect to existing proxies.
“Given how widely used WhatsApp is, proxy support that allows users to stay connected beyond unreasonable limits is welcome,” said Mike Parkin, Senior Technical Engineer. vulcan cyber.
“Any instructions for setting up a publicly available proxy would be greatly appreciated. This will help more people step up and open communication for those who might otherwise be silent. It helps keep.”
WhatsApp also says that connecting through a proxy maintains the “high level of privacy and security” that the app offers.
“Your private messages are still protected end-to-end [E2E] Encryption — stays between you and whoever you’re communicating with, making it invisible to anyone in between, not a proxy server, WhatsApp or Meta,” the company writes.
The new feature, which has been available in other E2E encrypted messaging apps like Telegram and Signal for years, is now visible in WhatsApp’s settings menu for all users running the latest version of the app. became.
Coming months after meta sued three Chinese developers Suspected of tricking users into downloading a fake version of WhatsApp to collect their login information.
