SafeGuard Cyber , the leading end-to-end platform for social media and digital risk protection, today announced a new capability to secure conversations in WeChat, making it one of the only entities to provide security and real-time compliance protection for businesses that use the mobile messaging application.
WeChat now has more than one billion daily active users, approximately 80 percent of whom use it for business purposes. Western companies have found WeChat to be a de facto requirement to do business in China, using the app to communicate with local suppliers, employees and customers. However, the lack of scalable visibility into the app creates enterprise exposure to compliance risks and employee exposure to cyber threats, such as malicious links. A system of record is vital for U.S. and other Western companies to maintain compliance with SEC, FINRA, HIPAA and even Chinese regulations.
SafeGuard Cyber’s new capability adds significant enhancements to its previous coverage of WeChat. By integrating WeChat into its NextGen Compliance platform, SafeGuard Cyber’s customers will now be able to apply real-time policy monitoring and automated archiving and retention to enterprise WeChat conversations. Additionally, employees will be protected from malicious content.
“The use of mobile apps like WeChat is a business imperative in today’s digital workplace,” said SafeGuard Cyber CEO and co-founder Jim Zuffoletti. “We are committed to helping companies use the channels they need to reach their customers. We’ll continue to add coverage of channels like WhatsApp and WeChat to give modern businesses the brand protection, compliance monitoring, and cyber defense they need.”
“WeChat is too big to ignore if you want to do business in China. However, too many companies struggle with opting in to the app securely. Understanding how to empower employees to safely use WeChat is critical for protecting employees, securing sales communications, maintaining compliance and even driving business insights,” added SafeGuard Cyber CTO and co-founder Otavio Freire.
Once authorized by the account owner, SafeGuard Cyber’s platform can capture all data that is sent and received — including deleted content — via WeChat, including recipient names, direct message conversation threats and a variety of content types, including emojis, videos, audio messages, files and shared contacts. SafeGuard Cyber can also follow any posted links to external web pages, capturing both the content and screenshot of the page. All content is fully indexed for search/discovery purposes and available for export. Further, the content can optionally be subject to tailored retention rules based on a company’s needs. As a privacy-first organization, SafeGuard Cyber does not have access to any login credentials, and users must opt-in for protection.
