whatsapp web: WhatsApp launches Code Verify: What it is, how it works and more – Times of India

WhatsApp has announced a new layer of security for WhatsApp Web. Called Code Verify, it is a web browser extension that provides real-time, third-party verification to check that the code running on users’ WhatsApp Web has not been tampered with. WhatsApp says that in simple term, Code Verify is a traffic light for the security of their WhatsApp Web account.
WhatsApp has launched Code Verify in partnership with Cloudflare. According to the company, “Code Verify is also being open sourced so that other messaging services can enable people to verify that the code they are being served on the web is the same that everyone else is using.”
How Code Verify works on WhatsApp
Code Verify will work on on Google Chrome, FireFox and Microsoft Edge web browsers. Once a users installs Code Verify extension, it will automatically be pinned to their Firefox or Edge browser. However, Google Chrome users will need to pin it themselves. When a user uses WhatsApp Web, the Code Verify extension will automatically compare the code that the browser receives from WhatsApp Web. It will create a hash (which is like a fingerprint of the code) and then match it against the hash or fingerprint of the code shared by WhatsApp Web with CloudFlare.

* If the code matches and is validated, the Code Verify icon on the user’s browser will turn green.
* If the Code Verify icon on the browser turns orange when WhatsApp Web loads, then it either means that another browser extension is interfering with its ability to verify WhatsApp Web, or it means that the request has timed out and the page just needs to be refreshed.
* If the Code Verify icon on browser turns red when WhatsApp Web loads, this will indicate that there is a possible security issue with the WhatsApp code being served. The user can then take action, like pause other extensions, switch to a mobile version of WhatsApp, or download the source code and give it to a third party organization to analyze.
“The idea itself — comparing hashes to detect tampering or even corrupted files — isn’t new, but automating it, deploying it at scale, and making sure it “just works” for WhatsApp users is,” claims the Facebook-owned company.