FBI Warns Of Ongoing China-Backed Telecom Hacks: Here's Why Encrypted Messaging Could Be Your Last Line Of Defense

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is advising Americans to adopt encrypted messaging apps to safeguard their communications.

What Happened: In a call on Tuesday, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have urged the use of encrypted messaging apps, reported NBC.

Jeff Greene, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, said, “Encryption is your friend,” underscoring its role in protecting data even if intercepted.

An unnamed FBI official recommended using devices with strong encryption and timely updates.

See Also: Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Unveils Powerful AI Chip Clusters To Supercharge Anthropic’s Models, Challenging Nvidia And OpenAI’s Dominance

This came following a major cyberattack on telecom giants including AT&T (NYSE:T), Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), and Lumen Technologies (NYSE:LUMN).

The hacking campaign accessed call records, live calls, and systems under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act.

The FBI has not confirmed if classified material was compromised. The breach is not believed to have aimed at influencing election results but is seen as a traditional espionage effort by China to gather intelligence on U.S. politics and government.

Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.

Why It Matters: Last month, senior leaders from the U.S. telecommunications sector and national security agencies convened at the White House to tackle issues surrounding a Chinese cyber-espionage operation aimed at prominent American political officials.

China has denied the hacking accusations, but U.S. officials remain alarmed by the scale of China's cyber operations, which FBI director Christopher Wray has described as surpassing those of all other major nations combined.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next:

• Zuckerberg Seeks ‘Active Role’ In Trump’s Tech Policies, Says Top Executive — Admits Meta ‘Overdid It’ During Pandemic Content Crackdown

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Image via Shutterstock