U.S. Officials Suggest Using Encrypted Messaging After Telecom Hack.
Signal in the midst of noise.
U.S. officials are urging citizens to use encrypted messaging apps for calls and texts in order to reduce the likelihood that their personal information could be accessed by foreign adversaries potentially infiltrating the U.S. telecommunications networks. This statement came from two representatives of the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who communicated the lasting effects of a recent cyberattack on the country's telecommunications systems.
This attack, linked to the Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon, affected major companies such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Lumen Technologies. Previous reports indicated that among the targets of the attack were phone numbers of individuals connected to the campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
More than two months after the issue was disclosed, there are fears that malicious actors may still access sensitive information about Americans' communications through telecommunications networks. An unidentified FBI official indicated that hackers managed to access call logs and connection times, and even some real-time calls of certain targets. Additionally, it was mentioned that the attackers likely had access to unencrypted text messages.
Jeff Greene, assistant executive director for cybersecurity at CISA, stated that the scale of the hacking was so significant that agencies could not estimate when there would be a "complete removal" of the malicious material. Greene emphasized that encryption is crucial for both messaging and encrypted voice communications. If data is intercepted but encrypted, it would make it difficult for adversaries to access it.
Platforms like Signal and WhatsApp offer end-to-end encrypted messaging, ensuring that communications remain solely between the involved users. The support of law enforcement for encrypted apps is notable, since the FBI has previously criticized tech companies' protection of this type of technology. While the FBI claims not to be against encryption, the agency has strict parameters regarding its support, seeking to have companies managing encrypted data decrypt it only in response to legal processes in the U.S.
This issue recalls the long-standing conflict the bureau had with Apple following a shooting in San Bernardino, California, in 2015, where the company refused to break the encryption of the shooter's iPhone, warning that doing so would jeopardize the privacy of its product users. Ultimately, the FBI found a way to access the device without Apple's assistance.
