FBI recommends stopping texting, using encrypted messaging instead

In the United States, authorities are warning of the risk of espionage and hacking during text message exchanges, while a large Chinese cyberattack recently targeted several telecommunications companies. But the FBI's recommendation also applies outside American borders.

Text conversations are not secure and can be spied on. This is the warning from American authorities, including the FBI, on Tuesday December 3, relayed by the NBC News channel, after a recent large-scale Chinese cyberattack against several telecommunications companies.

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommend that US citizens stop texting between Apple and Android phones and use messaging apps that use end-to-end data encryption, such as WhatsApp or Signal. The subtlety is there: messages sent between two Apple devices (iMessages) or between two Android devices (Google Messages) are fully encrypted, that is to say that only the sender and the recipient can access the content. However, this is not the case between two phones which operate on a different operating system.

When you send a message from an Apple phone to Android (or vice versa), the RCS protocol is used: this allows you to send reactions to messages, create discussion groups or even transmit larger files. Features well known to users of WhatsApp, Messenger or other messaging services. But it is precisely this RCS protocol that is – for the moment – ​​vulnerable to cyberattacks.

In its warning, the FBI advises more broadly “use a phone that automatically and regularly receives operating system updates, responsibly manages encryption and multi-factor authentication for email, social media and collaboration tool accounts”, reports NBC News.