The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning that text messages exchanged between Apple and Android devices may be vulnerable to interception by foreign hackers.
The agency highlighted that the Chinese government could potentially access these messages, posing a significant cyber espionage risk.
Globally, 270,000 texts are sent every second. However, the FBI’s investigation, launched earlier this year, uncovered a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign targeting telecommunications networks.
A senior FBI official disclosed that PRC-affiliated cyber actors have compromised networks of multiple telecom companies to enable various activities.
While the campaign primarily focuses on government and political figures, cybersecurity expert Peter Tran assured the general public that the threat is not universal. Tran emphasized that there is no need to panic, stating, “The sky is not falling.”
The FBI confirmed that the hackers accessed the private communications of a limited group of individuals linked to government and politics, seeking intelligence valuable to the Chinese government. Tran explained that the Chinese government had an interest in the political climate around certain high-value individuals.
To safeguard against such threats, Tran advised against texting sensitive information, suggesting that people should avoid texting anything they wouldn’t announce publicly.
For heightened security, the FBI recommends using encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram and ensuring phones automatically update their operating systems.
Alternatively, users can resort to phone calls to avoid risks altogether.
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