Even the FBI now says: use encrypted messaging
After the telecom hacks, US agencies told people to use end-to-end encrypted apps. Normal SMS and calls aren’t private.
After hackers got deep inside several US telecom companies, the FBI and CISA advised people to use end-to-end encrypted messaging and calls. That’s a big change of tone from agencies that usually complain about encryption.
The point applies everywhere, not just in the US: normal SMS and phone calls pass through the operator’s systems in readable form. Anyone inside those systems, legally or not, can see them.
Practical steps:
- For sensitive work talk, use apps with end-to-end encryption by default, such as Signal or WhatsApp. Check that backups are encrypted too.
- Move MFA away from SMS to an authenticator app, a passkey or a security key. SMS codes can be read or redirected.
- Lock your mobile account with a PIN at the operator, to make SIM swapping harder.
- Keep phones updated. Encryption doesn’t help if the phone itself is compromised.
Encryption on the device beats trusting every network in between.