Android and Apple’s iOS are two of the most popular mobile phone operating systems. There has always been competition between users of both systems about which one is better. Well, now there’s a reason for people on both sides to be wary when texting – and it’s not because of this feud.
Both the FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are warning users to use a messaging app instead and one that uses end-to-end encryption.
The warning comes amid a major cyberattack that has been called ‘unprecedented’ by the press. The attack has impacted telecommunications companies such as AT&T and Verizon. By using encrypted messaging apps, texters can keep their messages hidden from hackers.
The hacking campaign has been nicknamed Salt Typhoon by Microsoft and it has not been fully solved. NBC News called it ‘one of the largest intelligence compromises in US history’.
There’s an unprecedented cyberattack (Elena Zaretskaya / Getty)
The US government is investigating the hacking campaign, which officials say has given access to private texts and phone conversations. Hackers have also been able to access metadata, also known as call records, which show the numbers that phones have called and when.
Hackers have reportedly focused on records around the Washington, D.C. area, while live phone calls have also been targeted.
Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told NBC News: “Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: encryption is your friend, whether it’s on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication.
“Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible.”
The FBI has issued a statement (Crispin la valiente / Getty)
Apps that use end-to-end encryption include Apple’s iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Signal.
The senior FBI official, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “People looking to further protect their mobile device communications would benefit from considering using a cellphone that automatically receives timely operating system updates, responsibly managed encryption and phishing resistant multi-factor authentication for email, social media and collaboration tool accounts”.
End-to-end encryption is a secure communication method that prevents third parties from accessing data sent between devices. It uses encryption keys to scramble data into unreadable text. A secret key is created on the sender’s and recipient’s devices for each method and this key is never shared. Only the sender and the recipient have the keys to decrypt the message, and this can only be one on the receiver’s device.
