{"id":159624,"date":"2021-01-21T09:40:17","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T06:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/"},"modified":"2021-01-21T09:40:17","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T06:40:17","slug":"why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why SMS Text Messages Aren\u2019t Private or Secure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2469cff2a2d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2469cff2a2d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#Your_Cellular_Carrier_Can_See_Your_SMS_Messages\" >Your Cellular Carrier Can See Your SMS Messages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#SMS_Messages_Can_Be_Intercepted_by_Criminals\" >SMS Messages Can Be Intercepted by Criminals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#SMS_Messages_Can_Be_Monitored_by_Authorities\" >SMS Messages Can Be Monitored by Authorities<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#Your_Phone_Number_Is_Surprisingly_Easy_to_Hijack\" >Your Phone Number Is Surprisingly Easy to Hijack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#iMessage_and_RCS_Better_Than_SMS\" >iMessage and RCS: Better Than SMS?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#The_Problems_With_SMS_Summarized\" >The Problems With SMS, Summarized<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#What_You_Should_Use_Instead\" >What You Should Use Instead<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/#The_Future_of_SMS_Will_It_Ever_Be_Fixed\" >The Future of SMS: Will It Ever Be Fixed?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Why SMS Text Messages Aren\u2019t Private or Secure&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_709456\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-709456 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/phone.jpg\" alt=\"Hands holding a smartphone.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/close-image-male-hands-using-smartphone-594829253\" data-credittext=\"ImYanis\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/close-image-male-hands-using-smartphone-594829253\">ImYanis\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You might think that switching from <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> Messenger to old-fashioned text messages would help protect your privacy. But standard SMS text messages aren\u2019t very private or secure. SMS is like fax\u2014an old, outdated standard that refuses to go away.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Cellular_Carrier_Can_See_Your_SMS_Messages\"><\/span>Your Cellular Carrier Can See Your SMS Messages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With SMS, messages you send are not end-to-end encrypted. Your cellular provider can see the contents of messages you send and receive. Those messages are stored on your cellular provider\u2019s systems\u2014so, instead of a tech company like Facebook seeing your messages, your cellular provider can see your messages.<\/p>\n<p>Cellular carriers store the contents of those messages for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.law.fordham.edu\/jcfl\/2016\/06\/02\/cell-phone-forensics-powerful-tools-wielded-by-federal-investigators\/\">various amounts of time<\/a>. Messages are often only retained for several days, but they store metadata (which number sent a message to which number, and at what time) for even longer. These records could be subject to subpoena in legal proceedings\u2014for example, text message records are a common form of evidence in divorce cases.<\/p>\n<p>Compare this to an end-to-end encrypted chat <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a> like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/signal.org\/\">Signal<\/a>. Signal doesn\u2019t have the contents of your communications. Signal doesn\u2019t even know who you\u2019re talking to. Your conversation data is only stored on your device and the device of the person you\u2019re talking to\u2014that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n<p>That aside, should you trust your cellular provider with your conversations? Well, back in 2019, AT&amp;T, Sprint, and T-Mobile were all revealed to be selling customer location data to aggregators.\u00a0It was used by everyone from bail bondsmen to rogue bounty hunters. (After this was reported in the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>, the cellular carriers promised to stop.)<\/p>\n<p>Do you want those companies to see all the contents of your personal conversations?<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Can Anyone Really Track My Phone&#8217;s Precise Location?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SMS_Messages_Can_Be_Intercepted_by_Criminals\"><\/span>SMS Messages Can Be Intercepted by Criminals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_709459\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-709459 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/cell-towers.jpg\" alt=\"Cellular towers in front of a sunset background.\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/antenna-telephone-communication-towers-have-sunset-1544274290\" data-credittext=\"SERDTHONGCHAI\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/antenna-telephone-communication-towers-have-sunset-1544274290\">SERDTHONGCHAI\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But SMS messages are used for security, right? There\u2019s a reason every bank and financial institution relies on SMS messages to verify your identity\u2014right?<\/p>\n<p>Well, yes, there is a reason. But that reason isn\u2019t because of security. It\u2019s just that everyone has a phone number. Requiring confirmation via SMS adds some additional security. Even if SMS isn\u2019t particularly secure, it at least ensures that an attacker has to intercept an SMS message in addition to typing in your password.<\/p>\n<p>SMS messages can be intercepted. Mobile phone networks around the world are connected to each other through the Signaling System No 7 (SS7) protocol. This is how your phone can connect to a cellular network and make and receive calls, even when you\u2019re in another country on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n<p>The SS7 system has been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2016\/apr\/19\/ss7-hack-explained-mobile-phone-vulnerability-snooping-texts-calls\">repeatedly attacked by hackers<\/a> who have snooped on SMS messages or intercepted them. This is particularly useful when compromising bank accounts, for example\u2014the attackers can snoop on the verification codes that are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly sent via SMS, use them to access bank accounts, and drain them.<\/p>\n<p>This is why security professionals have recommended against using SMS for two-factor authentication. An app that generates codes on your device or a physical security key is much more bulletproof. (However, if SMS is the only option you have available, SMS is better than nothing.)<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SMS_Messages_Can_Be_Monitored_by_Authorities\"><\/span>SMS Messages Can Be Monitored by Authorities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Governments around the world have access to \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2020\/07\/31\/protests-surveillance-stingrays-dirtboxes-phone-tracking\/\">stingrays<\/a>,\u201d devices that essentially impersonate a cellular tower. When placed near your physical location, these trick your phone into connecting to them (as your phone would connect to a normal cellular tower). The stingray device can then track your movements and see your SMS text messages\u2014just like your cellular carrier can.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond local monitoring, SMS messages can also be swept up in larger surveillance systems. According to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jan\/16\/nsa-collects-millions-text-messages-daily-untargeted-global-sweep\">documents released by Edward Snowden back in 2014<\/a>, the NSA was, at the time, collecting over 200 million text messages a day from around the globe.<\/p>\n<p>Other countries\u2019 intelligence services also have access to stingrays and SMS-monitoring <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>, so\u00a0it\u2019s clear why encrypted communication apps like Signal and Telegram are especially popular among activists living under repressive regimes. For example, Telegram and Signal are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2018\/1\/2\/16841292\/iran-telegram-block-encryption-protest-google-signal\">banned in Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Signal vs. Telegram: Which Is the Best Chat App?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Phone_Number_Is_Surprisingly_Easy_to_Hijack\"><\/span>Your Phone Number Is Surprisingly Easy to Hijack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Beyond SMS, phone numbers actually have very poor security\u2014at the carrier level. A scammer can call your cellular carrier or go into a store and impersonate you. If the scammer has enough details and can trick your carrier\u2019s customer service representatives, they can get control over your phone number. They may have the carrier \u201cport out\u201d your phone number to a different cellular carrier\u2014just as you\u2019d do if you were switching to another cellular provider. Or, they may have the carrier issue a new SIM card tied to your phone number and deactivate your existing SIM card, removing access to your phone number.<\/p>\n<p>Now the attacker would have your phone number. With that, they can get access to accounts protected by SMS-based two-factor authentication. For an individual scammer, tricking a customer service person is easier than hacking SS7, after all. This is called a \u201cport-out scam\u201d or \u201cSIM swapping attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You can often protect your phone number by adding extra PINs and security features with your cellular provider. Check with your cellular provider to see what security features they offer to protect against port-out scams.<\/p>\n<p>This has happened to quite a few people\u2014enough that <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/port-out-fraud-targets-your-private-accounts\">the FCC<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/article\/news-releases\/17019-bbb-warns-about-cell-phone-porting-scams\">Better Business Bureau<\/a> have put out advisories warning about this scam.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Criminals Can Steal Your Phone Number. Here&#8217;s How to Stop Them<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"iMessage_and_RCS_Better_Than_SMS\"><\/span>iMessage and RCS: Better Than SMS?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_709460\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-709460 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/imessage-on-iphone.jpg\" alt=\"An iMessage conversation with blue bubbles on iPhone.\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/alushta-russia-september-26-2018-woman-1191438220\" data-credittext=\"DenPhotos\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/alushta-russia-september-26-2018-woman-1191438220\">DenPhotos\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Messages app on iPhone supports both SMS and Apple\u2019s own iMessage service. On Android, more and more Android phones are gaining support for the more modern Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. Both are designed to silently \u201cupgrade\u201d text message conversations to more modern, secure ones when both people are using devices that support them. So how do they compare to SMS?<\/p>\n<p>Apple\u2019s iMessage piggy-backs on SMS in a sense, using phone numbers as identifiers. If both you and the person you want to text have iPhones and have enabled iMessage, any text you send will be sent as an iMessage instead. These are end-to-end encrypted and sent through Apple\u2019s servers. You\u2019ll know iMessage is being used because the messages will have blue bubbles. If you see green bubbles instead, the Messages app is using SMS instead\u2014because you\u2019re messaging someone without iMessage, likely a person who is an Android user.<\/p>\n<p>The RCS standard being pushed for Android users\u2014think of it as the Google\/Android equivalent to Apple\u2019s iMessage\u2014did not support end-to-end encryption as of January 2021. As of November 2020, Google was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/61665\/android-will-soon-have-an-imessage-equivalent-with-end-to-end-encryption\/\">working on adding end-to-end encryption to RCS<\/a>. That means, even with that fancy new RCS system on your Android phone, your cellular carrier can still see the contents of the messages you send, just like with SMS.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Problems_With_SMS_Summarized\"><\/span>The Problems With SMS, Summarized<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s quickly summarize the problems with SMS, and compare it to a secure, end-to-end encrypted chat app like Signal.<\/p>\n<p>With SMS:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your cellular carrier can see the contents of the messages you\u2019re sending and receiving. Any collected records could be subpoenaed in legal proceedings.<\/li>\n<li>SMS messages can be intercepted by hackers due to weaknesses in the rickety old protocol that powers them. This puts financial and other accounts at risk.<\/li>\n<li>Authorities can deploy stingrays to snoop on the contents of text messages in an area.<\/li>\n<li>Scammers can try to steal your cell phone number by tricking your cellular provider\u2019s customer service staff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With Signal, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your cellular carrier can\u2019t see the contents of your messages. Not even Signal can see the contents of your messages or who you\u2019re contacting\u2014that remains a secret. Signal doesn\u2019t collect this data. If forced by subpoena, Signal can <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/signalapp\/status\/783318001349070849\">reveal almost nothing<\/a> about your usage of the service.<\/li>\n<li>Signal messages can\u2019t realistically be hijacked by hackers. They would have to compromise the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/signal.org\/docs\/\">Signal encryption protocol<\/a>, which security experts consider excellent. (In contrast, SS7 has been repeatedly compromised.)<\/li>\n<li>Stingrays can\u2019t see your conversations. Authorities can\u2019t snoop on the content of Signal messages\u2014not without getting their hands on a phone that contains them. All they can see is encrypted traffic being sent back and forth to Signal\u2019s servers.<\/li>\n<li>A port-out scam that captures your phone number wouldn\u2019t grant access to your Signal account. You can protect your Signal account with a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.signal.org\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360007059792-Signal-PIN\">PIN<\/a>, so a scammer can\u2019t just access your Signal account. Even if the scammer could somehow guess your PIN and access your Signal account, your Signal messages are stored on your phone and wouldn\u2019t be synced to any new devices that gain access to your account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_You_Should_Use_Instead\"><\/span>What You Should Use Instead<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_708951\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-708951 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/signal-apps.png\" alt=\"Signal apps showing the conversation list and conversation.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/signal.org\/en\/\" data-credittext=\"Signal\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/signal.org\/en\/\">Signal<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We used Signal as the example here as the contrast is so stark\u2014Signal is the most widely recommended private chat app, with always-on end-to-end encryption.<\/p>\n<p>If you have an iPhone, communicating with iMessage is much more private and secure than using plain old SMS. Hopefully, Android users will one day have secure end-to-end encrypted messages built into their devices after improvements are made to RCS. Unfortunately, iMessage and RCS aren\u2019t compatible with each other, so iPhones and Android phones will have to communicate over SMS\u2014or switch to different chat apps that aren\u2019t built-in.<\/p>\n<p>Other chat apps are an option, too. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/telegram.org\/\">Telegram<\/a> is popular, although it doesn\u2019t use end-to-end encryption by default. WhatsApp at least uses end-to-end encryption by default, unlike Facebook Messenger\u2014if you trust a Facebook-operated chat app. But even Facebook Messenger is arguably more secure than SMS\u2014you\u2019re trusting Facebook with your messages, but at least you don\u2019t have to worry about the problems in the ancient, creaky old SS7 protocol.<\/p>\n<p>For two-factor security, it\u2019s best to avoid SMS for really critical tasks. Unfortunately, some services will fall back to two-factor anyway\u2014for convenience. For example,\u00a0Google offers Advanced Protection for journalists, activists, business leaders, and politicians who need maximum security for their accounts, and it requires the use of a physical security key. That said, SMS-based two-factor security is still better than nothing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is Signal, and Why Is Everyone Using It?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Future_of_SMS_Will_It_Ever_Be_Fixed\"><\/span>The Future of SMS: Will It Ever Be Fixed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SMS is just outdated technology. It clearly was not built with privacy and security in mind, and those design decisions are still with it today.<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully, this will be fixed in the future. If RCS becomes more mature, gains end-to-end encryption, and is available in all Android phones\u2014well, then all Apple would have to do is agree to make RCS compatible with iMessage in some way. Then all modern smartphones would have secure messaging that doesn\u2019t depend on ancient protocols built-in.<\/p>\n<p>For now, it\u2019s best to avoid text messages if you\u2019re concerned about your privacy or the security of your accounts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Signal vs. Telegram: Which Is the Best Chat App?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/709373\/why-sms-text-messages-arent-private-or-secure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Why SMS Text Messages Aren\u2019t Private or Secure&#8221; ImYanis\/Shutterstock.com You might think that switching from Facebook Messenger to old-fashioned text messages would help protect your privacy. But standard SMS text messages aren\u2019t very private or secure. SMS is like fax\u2014an old, outdated standard that refuses to go away. Your Cellular Carrier Can See Your SMS&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/phone.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}