Alleged Chinese cyberattack: FBI urges encrypted apps

NewsNation Staff

December 5, 2024 at 12:32 AM·1 min read

(NewsNation) — Officials with the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are urging Americans to use encrypted messaging apps to ensure their communications stay hidden from an alleged Chinese cyberattack, multiple outlets reported.

Salt Typhoon, a Chinese government-linked hacking group, has conducted one of the largest intelligence breaches in U.S. history, and it has not yet been fully remediated, NBC News reported.

Officials told NBC News on a media call that China allegedly hacked AT&T, Verizon and Lumen Technologies to spy on customers.

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In the call Tuesday, Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, reminded Americans that “encryption is your friend.”

“Whether it’s (encryption) 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,” Greene said.

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An anonymous FBI official who also joined the call said, “People looking to further protect their mobile device communications would benefit from considering using a cellphone that automatically receives timely operating system updates, responsibly managed encryption and phishing resistant” multi-factor authentication for email, social media and collaboration tool accounts, NBC News added.

Privacy advocates have long encouraged apps such as Signal and WhatsApp, which automatically implement end-to-end encryption in both calls and messages.

Google Messages and iMessage also can encrypt calls and texts end to end. However, this only works if both people are using the same platform. For example, messaging Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone is secure, but messaging from one to the other is not.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.

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Alleged Chinese cyberattack: FBI urges encrypted apps

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