The FBI and CISA, the US cyber defense agency, are warning Americans to use encrypted messages and phone calls with caution. The background is Chinese hacker attacks on US networks, which are reported to be “current and probably on a larger scale than previously assumed”. Fully encrypted communications are the best defense against this compromise, and Americans are already being warned to use them wherever they can.

The network cyberattacks, a group linked to China’s Ministry of Public Security, have raised greater concerns about the weakness of critical U.S. communications networks. Reality is not as it is known. Without fully end-to-end encrypted messages and calls, this happens all the time There is a possibility that content may be intercepted. The FBI official told citizens that in this situation they should “use a cell phone that receives up-to-date operating system messages, responsibly managed encryption, and phishing-resistant MFA for email, social media, and collaboration tool accounts.” .

Encrypted communication is urgent

As reported by PoliticallyJeff Greene of CISA commented, “I urge Americans to preserve their encrypted communications. We definitely need to do this and think about what it means in the long term and how we protect our networks.” If there is one good thing that has come from this viral storm, it is the good news about the lack of security in SMS and basic RCS SMS. The fact that many users are now better informed about the risks so that they can make informed decisions is well received.

So far, there has been no detailed call and text content about the Salt Typhoon attacks. However, the actors were private communications from a limited number of people primarily involved in government or political activities.

A political storm from the hacking campaign

The balance between the hacking campaign and the impact on the US’s critical infrastructure and the security of its networks has created an unsurprising political storm. As reported by Reuters, “U.S. government officials expect there will be a confidential briefing of all senators on Wednesday about China’s alleged efforts.”

An alert on recent telecommunications network hacks issued jointly by the FBI, CISA and NSA was released on Tuesday. The need for end-to-end encryption to protect cross-platform RCS is clearly neglected. This was highlighted in Samsung’s new celebratory PR release on the success of RCS. It remains a great irony that Google and Apple separately recommend Android and iPhone phones to use end-to-end encryption. These warnings have a contradictory twist.

The obligation to submit an annual certificate

According to the addition Reuters US Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is reportedly proposing that communications service providers be required to provide an annual certification certificate. Meanwhile, CISA has assured that an independent review of the Chinese hacking campaign will begin soon.

Responsible encryption

Before making recommendations, the FBI’s exact wording is critical, with emphasis on responsible Encryption that has mostly been overlooked in reports. Responsible in this situation is, for example, the provision of access to user data. This may seem like subtlety at the same time, but it is anything but subtle.

One can wait for recommendations to find the right balance between full encryption to protect content from network vulnerabilities and lawful access. This risks reopening the debate between big tech companies and lawmakers over how to break into the encryption enclave without fatally weakening it. It will face stiff resistance, although it is unclear how the new Trump administration will approach it.

This week Europe’s action

With contradictory timing, Europe’s so-called chat control is on the table again this week. This is intended to solve the difficult problem of forcing large technology companies to control child sexual abuse content on their platforms. Privacy experts have railed against this political campaign, and European lawmakers and regulators have differing opinions on the issue.

ESET’s Moore warns: “It is important to treat any publicly accessible messaging platform with caution and not use it for private communications or the transmission of sensitive data.”