Whether you want to admit it or not, there's more than a bit of friendly rivalry between Android and Apple. With Blackberry out of the race, the two smartphone giants have been duking it out just like Microsoft and Sony or Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Consumers don't do anything to help this, with smartphone owners likely sitting firmly in the camp of either iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. This can cause some major divides in friendship groups, families, and even with your partner. It makes sense that you'll want to communicate with those on other devices, but now, the U.S. Government has warned users to stop texting between Android and Apple.
Malicious attacks from a group called Salt Typhoon have hacked telecommunications companies including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Expected to be from China, these bad actors are trying to spy on customers in an attack that has been called one of the largest intelligence breaches in history.
The White House has confirmed that at least eight of the USA's major telecom companies have been hit by cyberespionage attacks, which are apparently ongoing and even worse than we first thought.
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Jeff Greene, the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CSIA), 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."
We're told to seek more secure methods of communicating, as well as looking for a cellphone that "automatically receives timely operating system updates." You should consider two-factor authentication for personal accounts, with a phone that has 'responsibly managed encryption' and is phishing resistant. Cybercriminals are typically accessing call records and metadata, live phone calls, and some systems that law enforcement uses to track communications.
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As for why you shouldn't text between Android and Apple, both Google Messages and iMessage offer end-to-end encryption, but texts between Android and iPhones are unprotected.
Many of us do this anyway, but we're told to consider using encrypted apps like WhatsApp or Signal.
Even though China denies cyberespionage attacks, Senator Mike Rounds of the US Committee on Armed Services’ cybersecurity subcommittee, warned that unless we're using apps like the above, anyone might be 'subject to review' by the Chinese government.
Speaking to Politico, Greene emphasized the importance of encrypted communications and concluded: "We cannot say with certainty that the adversary has been evicted. We’re on top of tracking them down… but we cannot with confidence say that we know everything, nor would our partners."