iPhone and Android users told to stop sending texts after massive hack

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Threat actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China are targeting commercial telecommunications providers to compromise sensitive data and engage in cyber espionage,” said Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Together with our interagency partners, the FBI issued guidance to enhance the visibility of network defenders and to harden devices against People’s Republic of China-affiliated exploitation.” The Salt Typhoon cyber campaign was described by one senator as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history”. FBI Director Chris Wray has previously described strong encryption as “an urgent public safety issue”, with the latest report from the agency suggesting that hackers are still within the networks of major telecom companies like T-Mobile. “Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: Encryption is your friend, whether it’s on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication,” Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cyber security at CISA, told reporters on Tuesday.