In a not-so-distant past time, SMS was the primary form of communication.
Since there wasnt any reason to question the safety of texting.
There was no reason to stop using SMS as the primary means of communication.
Each one of those is unencrypted and easily interceptable by potentially malicious intruders.
Find out why you should stop using SMS and why it could be dangerous.
Contents
Related Reading:
What Does SMS Really Mean?
Every mobile phone operator supports SMS, just as they support phone calls.
For decades, texting and calling were the two primary forms of mobile communication.
Your phone constantly sends and receives information, even if youre not actively on a call or texting.
Suppose you saw old movies of telephone operators redirecting calls in a central control hub.
In that case, thats basically what cellphone towers are doing for your texts.
Thats great for quickly receiving texts, but what about safety and privacy?
Is it possible for someone to intercept these messages?
What we can say is that SMS texts are extremely unprotected and vulnerable.
Why Should You Stop Using SMS?
The thing about SMS is that its almost entirely unencrypted.
You might think that that isnt much of an issue.
Or, consider this scenario.
They managed to get your mobile bank app details but need your two-factor authentication code for unlimited access.
More Info
Hackers use SS7 (Signaling System No.
- data pipe flaws to intercept calls and texts.
What SS7 does is allow phone networks to communicate with each other and connect customers across the internet.
These intruders could include foreign governments, malicious agencies, individuals, or criminal groups.
However, the technology is old, and weve known about certain flaws and vulnerabilities since at least 2008.
Despite consistent high-profile breaches, however, SS7 and its flaws persist.
There are many reasons why you should stop using SMS, but what else are we supposed to use?
Its not the publics fault that institutions still use SMS to send vital information.
Are the Alternatives Better?
This would at least ensure that your messages are encrypted and more difficult to intercept.
The caveat is that its only secure and reliable when communicating with other iMessage-enabled devices.
Your text messages are only secure if youre an Apple user communicating with another.
Theres absolutely no reason Apple cant also allow Android devices to access iMessage.
This is probably due to marketing reasons.
Although the company didnt develop RCS, it advocates for the protocol.
Therefore, this makes RCS as inefficient as iMessage for those using it to send texts to iMessage users.
Conclusion
Its unfair that consumers have to bear the brunt of corporations actions.
