WhatsApp users are being urged to take a closer look at their privacy settings following a new security warning.
Experts have raised concerns after discovering a flaw that could potentially expose personal data through malicious files sent directly to users' devices.
As per ExpressUK, the problem is connected to the Meta owned platform's automatic media download feature which saves received files to a phone automatically without the user needing to open or approve them.
Scammers likely use the feature to trick people into joining fake WhatsApp groups and once they joined, malicious files could download to their phones automatically without them even knowing.
Experts are suggesting users to change their WhatsApp settings by turning off automatic downloads or use Advanced Privacy Mode, so media files do not save automatically on their phones.
Users are further advised to limit the number of people who can add them to WhatsApp groups to prevent attackers.
How to switch off automatic downloads on WhatsApp?
Open WhatsApp on your devices, tap the three dots in the top right corner, go to Settings, then select Storage and data where you will find the Media auto-download section with separate option for mobile data, Wifi or roaming.
You should open each media auto-download setting and remove the check marks next to Photos, Audio, Videos and Documents then confirm it by tapping OK.
After doing this, the app will make sure that no media for each category is downloaded automatically.
