Recently, government agencies in the United States held a classified meeting in which they briefed senators on a cyberattack currently targeting the country’s telecommunication systems. Allegedly, the People’s Republic of China is behind a cyberattack known as “Salt Typhoon,” which was launched in an attempt to access data on calls in the United States.
According to one government official, an unconfirmed but “large” amount of people in the United States have already had their cyber security compromised by the attack. “We believe a large number of Americans’ metadata was taken,” said the official, who spoke to reporters on the condition their name be withheld. “We do not believe it’s every cell phone in the country, but we believe it’s potentially a large number of individuals that the Chinese government was focused on.”
How To Protect Yourself From Hacking
The Salt Typhoon cyberattack is an ongoing issue with no official timetable for resolution. So, how can you use your phone safely in the meantime? The key is encryption.
Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: Encryption is your friend, whether its on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication,” Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said in a call last Tuesday. “Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible.”
But what is encryption, and how do you make sure the messages you send are secure? Let’s take a look.
What is Text Message Encryption?
Essentially, an encrypted text message is a text message that has been turned into a code. To most people, that code is inaccessible. But when the person you’re texting receives the code, it is then “decrypted” by a unique decryption key that only the recipient has, ensuring they’re the only ones who can access your message.
It’s important to note there are two kinds of encryption: standard encryption and end-to-end encryption, with the latter being far more secure than the former. Standard encryption secures your message from your device to the server, but after that, it’s vulnerable. End-to-end encryption protects a message as it goes from device to device, so it can truly only be accessed by the intended recipient.
What Kinds of Texts Are Encrypted?
Widespread text message encryption has only caught on in the last decade. Now, messaging apps like iMessage, Google Messages and WhatsApp all offer full end-to-end encryption, promising users that even those running the messaging applications cannot access the message. Your texts will be secure if you’re using one of these services and messaging someone using the same service.
However, an issue does arise if people on different platforms attempt to message each other. Say, for example, that an iPhone user using iMessage texts an Android user using Google Messages. That message would be sent via standard SMS, an old-school version of texting with much less security. If you need to text someone who is on a different OS than you, it’s best to download a third-party messaging app like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger that offers end-to-end encryption especially while Salt Typhoon rages on.
Sources:
- Reuters: “US senators vow action after briefing on Chinese Salt Typhoon telecom hacking” (2024)
- Reuters: “Large number’ of Americans’ metadata stolen by Chinese hackers, senior official says” (2024)
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