Nowadays, cybersecurity is no longer just the obsession of some tech enthusiasts.
In this complex context, made up of moves and countermoves between cybercriminali e IT security specialists, it’s the details that make the difference. Not everyone knows that, in this daily battle, the service known as can also make the difference Short Message Serviceor the classics SMS.
These, which appeared for the first time in 1993 thanks to Nokia, nowadays represent a real threat to digital security. Why this strong statement? SMS messages do not have the crittografia end-to-end o E2EEnow almost obligatory for communications.
Not only telephone providers can view all messages sent and received, but also other external entities. This is made even worse by the fact that many people conduct important tasks via text message every day, including sending sensitive personal information.
The absence of end-to-end encryption support, as we will see, is just one of the limitations of SMS: there are in fact four other reasons why this means of communication should be put aside.
Not just encryption: here’s why you should retire SMS
Not everyone knows that text messages have been regularly used as evidence in legal proceedings, even influencing sentences in many cases. Even though SMS might be deleted on the recipient’s and sender’s phones, that doesn’t mean theirs mobile provider do not store the data. While this requires a warrant from a judge or magistrate, these are often granted.
The third reason is the possible interference of hackers, capable of inserting links to malicious sites. Again thanks to the absence of encryption, in fact, the campagne phishing via SMS are a danger that should not be underestimated. Too many users, in fact, think that the dangers in this sense can only arrive online and do not have too many problems believing an SMS prepared by some cybercriminal to be truthful.
The fourth reason is linked to what was said earlier, namely that telephone operators have full access to any type of SMS sent or received from its customers. Even if providers have limited times for which they can keep this data, it is good to remember that they have no particular limits in this respect.
Finally, the last reason to set aside SMS today is that they exist messaging app with encryption integrated much more functional and safe. Some names along those lines?
- Signal
- Telegram
- Facebook Messenger
Which they offer standards of safety high and, as the only limit, they have the fact that not everyone uses these apps regularly. Despite this, their nature free makes them a more than worthy replacement for classic SMS.
