The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has urged senior government officials and individuals with sensitive information to switch to end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal, following a wave of telecom breaches across dozens of countries. The breaches, attributed to Chinese-backed threat group Salt Typhoon, have affected major US telcos including T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies.
CISA warned that highly targeted individuals should assume all communications between mobile devices and internet services are at risk of interception or manipulation. To protect themselves, they advise using end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal, which is compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems.
Additionally, CISA recommends using phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, enabling security features like Google’s Advanced Protection program, and regularly updating software to patch recent security vulnerabilities. They also advise against using commercial virtual private networks (VPNs) and instead recommend switching to secure hardware-based FIDO security keys or passkeys.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-urges-switch-to-signal-like-encrypted-messaging-apps-after-telecom-hacks