It's a good time to go back to landlines.
government officials Smartphone users have been warned to stop sending text messages as the threat of cyber attacks increases.
This year, a malicious actor known as Salt Typhoon, believed to be from China, hacked carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, spying on customers on any of the following services: Biggest information leak in this country's historyaccording to NBC News.
on wednesday, The White House revealed At least eight major U.S. telecommunications companies were reportedly compromised. cyber espionage attackAccording to , these “are ongoing and may be larger in scale than previously understood.” daily mail.
“What we're proposing, what we've been telling people internally is nothing new here: Whether it's text messaging or the ability to use encrypted voice communications, encryption is your friend,” said Jeff Green, Executive Assistant Director of Cybersecurity. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CSIA) said. NBC News.
“Even if an adversary were able to intercept the data, it would be impossible if the data was encrypted.”
According to NBC News, an FBI official who requested anonymity said users seeking more secure ways to communicate should “automatically receive timely operating system updates, use responsibly managed encryption, and He advised people to consider mobile phones that are phish-proof and have two-factor authentication for personal accounts.
It also revealed three types of data accessed by cybercriminals: call records and metadata, live phone calls, and specific systems used by law enforcement to track communications.
Last month, Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.), a member of the U.S. Armed Services Committee's Cybersecurity Subcommittee, said anyone is “subject to vetting” by Chinese authorities “unless they use specialized apps.” warned that it could become. government, Despite the country denying cyber espionage attacks,.
Texts between iPhone and Android are encrypted, while Google Messages and iMessage are done through end-to-end encryption. defenseless, May leave you vulnerable to hackers. Instead, users can download apps like WhatsApp and Signal Communicate via encrypted messaging.
Green encouraged Americans to “use encrypted communications where they are available,” as authorities are not confident that all malicious actors have been removed from telecommunications networks.
“I can't say with certainty that the adversary has been forced out,” Green said. politiko. “We're tracking them…but we can't confidently say we know everything, and neither can our partners.”
