In 2025, with increasing people going online to do anything from chat to banking, web security is a huge issue. Hacking, eavesdropping, and leaks are making users question if their chats are as safe as they believe. WhatsApp, which has over 2 billion active monthly users, is still one of the planet’s most popular messaging apps. But people are asking a simple question: Is WhatsApp safe in 2025?

In fact, according to recent data, over 200,000 people search each month about WhatsApp security, hacking, and how to stay protected. That shows just how important this topic is today.

This article explains how secure WhatsApp is right now, how it protects your data, what the risks are, and what you can do to stay safe.

Understanding WhatsApp’s Security Framework in 2025

WhatsApp’s safety system is based on end-to-end encryption, which has been its most vital selling point for years. The encryption ensures that messages can only be read by the sender and receiver. WhatsApp itself, or for that matter, Meta, can’t even read the message content. This encryption is true for messages, voice calls, video calls, and shared media.

But security in messaging applications is not strictly encryption-based. The bigger context is the way metadata is managed, the vulnerability of the application to social engineering attacks, the data collection policies on users, and the reactivity of the platform to emerging threats.

In 2025, WhatsApp still uses the Signal Protocol to encrypt messages, one of the most secure end-to-end encryption techniques in use today. Moreover, the app has now extended end-to-end encryption to backups in iCloud and Google Drive—a function which has previously left conversations vulnerable to third parties.

Even with all these developments, there are certain things to be pointed out. WhatsApp collects a whole lot of metadata, like information regarding whom you call, how frequently you call them, and at what time of day you call them. While the content remains encrypted, this metadata can still reveal telling details about your routine.

Why Accounts Get Hacked

Even though WhatsApp uses strong encryption, accounts still get hacked. Here’s why:

• Social engineering: Hackers deceive users to reveal their 6-digit verification code.
• Phishing links: Clicking a fake or malicious link may download malware.
• SIM swap attacks: A hacker deceives your cellular carrier into handing over control of your telephone number.
• Spyware: Sophisticated malware such as Pegasus has been employed previously to hack WhatsApp through phone vulnerabilities.
• Weak passwords or no two-step verification: Without additional layers of protection, it’s simpler to gain entry.

Hackers don’t typically crack the encryption—they attack the user instead.

What Are the Preventions to Save Your Account?

You can do a great deal to protect your WhatsApp account. Here are the best practices:

• Turn on two-step verification: Add a PIN code to prevent others from accessing your account.
• Never give out your verification code: Not even to someone you know.
• Enable encrypted backups: Use a strong, new password or key.
• Employ biometric locks: Lock your app with fingerprint or face ID.
• Watch out for links: Don’t click on anything iffy, even if it’s from a friend.
• Review privacy settings: Restrict who can see your profile information and who can add you to groups.
• Keep the application updated: Always have the latest security patches installed.
• Do not use WhatsApp on public/shared devices: Your account is potentially more exposed on shared computers.

WhatsApp and the Privacy  Concerns

While WhatsApp’s technical end-to-end encryption is strong, its relationship with privacy is less nuanced. The service is controlled by Meta, an organization repeatedly brought under criticism for data handling processes. Though Meta asserts that it does not read chat content, the cross-platform linking of WhatsApp with other Meta services has raised serious issues about cross-platform data profiling and behavioral targeting.

One major concern is the gathering of user metadata and whether it can be shared with third-party services or utilized for advertising. WhatsApp shares the likes of posts, IP addresses, and device information with Meta, but it doesn’t display ads in the app itself as of 2025. This makes a difference because, even with encrypted messages, the behavioral trends exposed through metadata can be exploited for user profiling.

Apart from this, newer privacy policy changes, especially outside the EU, have attracted controversy in terms of the depth of user consent and transparency in sharing. These problems increase the need to differentiate between data security (protecting your messages) and data privacy (protecting your identity and usage patterns).

Common Threats: Is WhatsApp Safe against Hackers and Spying?

Even with highly encrypted messages, WhatsApp is not completely beyond attack. Most hackers successfully assault either user patterns or device vulnerabilities rather than attacking the encryption directly. Social engineering, or having folks surrender their verification codes or click on fake links, has been perhaps the most cringeworthy of the recent trends.

There have also been publicized cases of spyware attacks, including notorious Pegasus spyware, that used vulnerabilities in messaging applications like WhatsApp to access devices with unauthorized access. While WhatsApp secured the exploited vulnerabilities and implemented more aggressive security monitoring, the incident showed that encryption is not enough if device security has been breached.

In 2025, SIM swap attacks will remain a means of WhatsApp account hacking. The attack entails obtaining a victim’s phone number through fraudulent means, then applying it to sign in to WhatsApp on another system. To fight this, WhatsApp has made its two-step verification process more robust, implemented device-linking notifications, and now demands biometric authentication for fresh logins in some areas.

Can WhatsApp Be Trusted to Share Sensitive Media and Private Information?

When it comes to sharing photos, videos files, documents, and other private media, WhatsApp remains the first choice due to its end-to-end encryption. Know the limitation, however. Media is indeed encrypted in transit, but beyond that point, it is beyond WhatsApp’s control. If your receiver stores a file in their gallery or shares it with others, your privacy may be violated.

To reverse this, WhatsApp has introduced features like “View Once” for media and videos, where the receiving user has a view of the file once before it disappears. However, users can still take a screenshot or capture their screen as WhatsApp cannot block or warn them against doing so yet. This limits the real security of sensitive media once out of your device.

Besides, most users increasingly use WhatsApp for business communications and document sharing. In these situations, relying on the app’s security is that much more important. For critical or legally dangerous communications, users might still prefer enterprise-grade encryption and auditing tools.

WhatsApp’s Advanced Security Features in 2025

In the past few years, WhatsApp has implemented various upgrades to enhance user control as well as platform integrity. The most prominent security features include:

End-to-End Encrypted Backups: Users are allowed to encrypt cloud backups using a personal password or 64-digit key.

Two-Step Verification: Places an additional step of protection with a PIN in case of reinstall.

Suspicious Link Detection: Automatically identifies links that might be pointing to phishing websites.

Group Privacy Controls: Provides users with the ability to authorize whom they allow to add them to groups.

Device Notifications: Notifies users if their account is accessed via a new device.

Disappearing Messages: Allows users to delete messages after a specified period for enhanced privacy.

Though these features are an improvement, users still have to opt in to most of them. Security isn’t just about what an app delivers, but also how people use it.

How WhatsApp Stacks Up Against Other Messenger Apps in 2025

It’s not just about convenience anymore—using a messaging app is about trust. Here’s how WhatsApp stacks up against some competitors:

Signal is still the go-to for privacy activists. It gathers hardly any metadata, is open source, and defaults to end-to-end encryption. But its minimal deployment and lack of features render it less useful than WhatsApp.

Telegram has picked up support for its flexibility and channel-based messaging, but it isn’t end-to-end encrypted by default. “Secret Chats” are the only ones encrypted in this manner, and group chats are still server-accessible.

iMessage, which is Apple hardware-specific, has strong encryption and more integration with Apple’s privacy-focused ecosystem, but it is not cross-platform in the true sense.

Facebook Messenger adds end-to-end encryption on an opt-in basis for all chats, but its integration with Meta means it suffers the same privacy problems as WhatsApp, if not worse.

WeChat and Snapchat both offer competing value propositions but at risk. WeChat, for example, is exposed to ubiquitous surveillance in certain jurisdictions.

In short, while WhatsApp finds a reasonable compromise between use and security, those who need full privacy may wish to seek elsewhere, such as Signal.

Best Practices for Using WhatsApp Safely in 2025

If you’re going to use WhatsApp—be it for personal, business, or family use—here are the best methods to safeguard your data:

• Turn on two-step verification and never disclose your verification code.

• Use encrypted backups with a good, one-of-a-kind password.

• Lock your app using biometric authentication.

• Be careful with whom you talk and what you exchange.

• Avoid clicking on suspicious links, even from familiar callers.

• Regularly check for privacy settings, particularly group and profile visibility.

• Keep your app updated to safeguard against known vulnerabilities.

By supplementing WhatsApp’s native features with vigilant conduct, the risk of exposure of data can be reduced.

Conclusion

WhatsApp has gone a long way in enhancing the safety of its service, including default end-to-end encryption, stronger backup security, and greater user control of their privacy. But users often wonder, is WhatsApp safe in every situation? No messaging application is totally secure. WhatsApp’s metadata harvesting, its Meta connection, and its pervasiveness (making it a target for attackers) mean users must remain vigilant in protecting their information.

For everyday chat, WhatsApp remains a secure and reliable choice. But for handling ultra-sensitive information or operating in high-risk environments, others like Signal or business-class encrypted channels may be more secure.