For many years it was one of the main communication systems between people, but it is being used less and less. This is SMS, a technology that still exists, but that It is already obsolete.
In an era dominated by messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram, SMS or short messages have fewer and fewer users, but those who still use them They are at serious risk.
As stated in the Daily Mail In a piece of information, SMS can be easily intercepted by cybercriminals. Dan Lattimer, a cyber expert at software company Semperis, says: “SMS lacks encryptionmaking them more vulnerable to interception, spoofing, and other forms of unauthorized access.”
“From a security perspective, transitioning from SMS to encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal or others may be prudent, especially when communicating confidential or personal information“says Lattimer.
John Kingston, professor of cybersecurity at Nottingham-Trent University, calls SMS messaging “an old technology” and “therefore vulnerable in more ways than one.”
“SMS has many of the same vulnerabilities as emails, such as sending fake phishing links or flooding recipients with large amounts of spam messages,” says Kingston. “SMS messages actually can be intercepted and redirected to another phone”he adds.
Applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal use end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Now considered a privacy standard, E2EE ‘encodes’ messages into a code that can only be unlocked and translated by the receiver, and no one else.
SMS messages, on the other hand, are not end-to-end encrypted, meaning they could be intercepted or read by anyone, such as hackers or even your mobile carrier. “An SMS message is sent in plain textwhich means no encryption“Adds Lattimer.
“This means that the content of your messages can be easily intercepted and read by unauthorized people. Additionally, your mobile phone provider store these messages along with data such as the sender and recipient’s phone numbers, giving them full access to your communications,” he says.
Lattimer says SMS “may be considered obsolete,” but abandoning it permanently “is not entirely practical” because “continues to perform some essential functions.”
For example, SMS is still useful for two-factor authentication (2FA), which sends a code to your mobile phone to log into your online accounts.
It also remains “universally accessible”, Lattimer said, in the sense that it can be used in areas where internet connectivity is unreliable.
“A balanced approach could involve using secure messaging apps wherever possible, especially for private conversations, while SMS are reserved for cases where accessibility is a concern,” says Lattimer.
“Any old technology can be modernized and security can be incorporated in the future“adds the expert.
Marc Riveroa researcher at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, agrees that SMS “still has its place,” although he calls it “obsolete in terms of security.”
“SMS works without Internet access, on basic phones and as an alternative to two-factor authentication (2FA) when there are no alternatives“Rivero said.
“But in terms of privacy and security, messaging applications are far superior due to their encryption and protection against interception“, says.
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