In a surprising development, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US cyber defence agency, CISA, have urged all American smartphone users to stop sending text messages and to switch to using encrypted messaging and calls. 

This warning comes in the wake of reports of continued Chinese hacking of US networks, creating a potential threat to national cybersecurity. 

Despite the security of messaging between similar devices, Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone, the FBI states that messaging between Android and iPhone devices lacks proper encryption, making the data vulnerable. 

To counter this, they are promoting the use of responsibly encrypted communications to protect content from interception. 

This new development has shone a spotlight on the glaring shortcomings in the security of SMS and basic RCS messaging, encouraging users to consider more secure communication alternatives. 

The FBI has started investigations into broad and significant cyber espionage campaigns and has emphasised the importance of responsibly managed encryption in this era of increasing cyber threats.

- CyberBeat