The FBI has warned Android users to refrain from texting messaging iPhone users and vice versa in a statement following a report that revealed text data was easily hackable due to a lack of encryption.

To keep others from listening in on their discussions, the FBI is advising users to use safe, encrypted messaging and phone calls using apps like WhatsApp. The warning follows news that Chinese hackers named “Salt Typhoon” had gained access to many US networks, with the extent of the breach perhaps being more than first believed.

‘Salt Typhoon’ is the gang that has already targeted the metadata of many clients, including information like call and text recipients, dates, and hours. A senior FBI official stated that “the facts will evolve over time within the investigative activity, especially one this significant and this large.”

The ongoing probe into the PRC’s targeting of commercial telecom infrastructure has uncovered a large-scale and noteworthy cyber espionage operation.

FBI Warns iPhone and Android Users

In addition to stating that “the FBI began investigating this activity in late spring and early summer of this year,” he cautioned that this effort “identified that PRC affiliated cyber actors have compromised networks of multiple telecom companies to enable multiple activities.”

“Using a cell phone that automatically receives timely operating system updates, responsibly managed encryption, and phishing resistant MFA for email, social media, and collaboration tool accounts” is what the FBI official advised individuals to do.

Adding to this, Jeff Greene of CISA told Forbes, “We definitely need to do that, kind of look at what it means long-term, how we secure our networks.” He strongly encouraged Americans to “use your encrypted communications where you have it.”

According to the information available, the Salt Typhoon attacks did not steal extensive call and text content, but the FBI official cautioned that extensive call and text metadata was. However, “a small number of people who are primarily involved in government or political activities had their private communications compromised by the actors.” This would have included text and phone contents.

Political upheaval is hardly surprising given the scope of the hacking campaign and the consequences for US critical infrastructure and network security.

Chinese Hacking Telecommunications Networks

China’s purported efforts, known as Salt Typhoon, to infiltrate American telecommunications companies and acquire data about U.S. calls were the subject of a classified briefing for all senators on Wednesday, according to Reuters. When the briefing was over, “US senators vow[ed] action.”

“A Senate Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on December 11 on Salt Typhoon and how security threats pose risks to our communications networks, and review best practices,'” according to Reuters.

Concern over the extent and magnitude of the alleged Chinese hacking of American telecommunications networks is growing, as is uncertainty about when businesses and the government will be able to reassure citizens about the situation.

According to reports, CISA’s Greene recommended “that Americans should use encrypted apps for all their communications” during Tuesday’s initial media briefing (1,2). This means that even while iMessages and Google Messages are completely secured on those platforms, you should avoid sending messages from your iPhone to Android.

“Our recommendation, which we have discussed internally, is not new here: encryption is your friend, whether you’re using text messaging or have the ability to use encrypted voice communication,” Greene continued.

Encrypting the data will prevent the adversary from intercepting it, even if they are able to do so.

The FBI, CISA, NSA, and other Five Eyes organisations together issued a notice on Tuesday regarding the ongoing telco network breaches.

One obvious deficiency is the absence of end-to-end encryption to safeguard cross-platform RCS, SMS’s replacement. Samsung recently issued a PR release celebrating the success of RCS, highlighting the fact that only texting between Android devices is safe.

End-to-end encryption for Android and iPhone

The fact that Google and Apple separately recommend end-to-end encryption for Android and iPhone users, but it is still absent from RCS and has no estimated time of arrival, is still a glaring irony.

Although there isn’t a specific date yet, Google, GSMA, and the mobile standard-setter have stated that encryption will eventually be included to RCS.

With the media picking up on the security vulnerability after Apple’s upgrade, that assurance appeared to be a reaction to the criticism. Apple, the company behind the more fully encrypted iPhone environment, has refrained from commenting.

These warnings have an ironic twist. The FBI has long complained that the same technology can impede their investigations into seized devices and online accounts belonging to criminal suspects, so PC Mag noted that “this push to use end-to-end encryption is ironic.”

In light of this, the FBI’s exact language is crucial, emphasising prudent encryption, which has otherwise received little attention in stories. In this context, “responsible” refers to granting access to user data, and possibly content, through legitimate requests.

FBI recommends Whatsapp

Although this might seem like a subtlety, it is not. Due to their inability to grant access to any content without an endpoint (device) compromise, which would allow access to the data at one end of the end-to-end encryption, this excludes many of the biggest and most well-known messaging systems, including WhatsApp and Signal.

However, until RCS adds its own full encryption across iPhones and Androids, I still advise using the fully encrypted WhatsApp over RCS for any cross-platform chat.

These security measures vanish as soon as you leave Google’s or Apple’s walled gardens. Now that there are so many excellent, secure platforms accessible, the risk is not worth it. Given the constantly changing world of cyber threats, complete security is more important than ever.

Other completely encrypted platforms exist as well; Signal is the greatest of them all, albeit its install base is far smaller. The fact that Facebook Messenger now completely encrypts messages further distinguishes ordinary SMS/RCS texting as an anomaly.

Given this FBI/CISA warning, Signal and WhatsApp should also be your first choices because they allow cross-platform, completely encrypted audio and video calls.

Ironically, iPhone owners will be able to switch from iMessage as the default messenger on their smartphones with Apple’s iOS 18.2, which is scheduled for release this month. It’s all about timing.

Geoff Brown

Geoff Thomas is a seasoned staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. With his sharp writing skills and deep understanding of SEO, he consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content that resonates with readers. Thomas’ articles are well-researched, informative, and written in a clear, concise style that keeps audiences hooked. His ability to craft compelling narratives while seamlessly incorporating relevant keywords has made him a valuable asset to the VORNews team.

(VOR News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered Neuralink “objectionable conditions or practices” at an animal testing facility under the brain technology business Neuralink.

One firm that manufactures brain technology is Neuralink. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reprimanded the corporation and recommended that it take corrective action in response to the laboratory deficiencies that were found.

According to the letter delivered to Congress on November 29th, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors discovered the issues at Neuralink’s animal testing facility in California in June 2023.

The letter that was sent contained this information. The Food and Drug Administration had given the company permission to perform a limited study of their brain implant in human volunteers a few weeks prior.

Neuralink’s incident happened a few weeks after FDA approval.

During the time that Oregon Democrat Earl Blumenauer raised the issue, the agency was responding to particular challenges raised by Blumenauer, who has long been concerned about animal welfare. The problems had been raised by Blumenauer.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted Blumenauer to the issue that was found at Neuralink and told Blumenauer that the company had to do repair operations on its own initiative. The agency did not consider them substantial enough to justify pursuing any regulatory action against them. They were deemed insufficiently serious.

The following is a quote from a statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to enquiries from Reuters. You can view the statement here: “The FDA’s inspection did not find evidence of any violations that would undermine the device’s safety.”

This action was conducted in response to citations that were given to the organisation regarding the documentation of their animal study. It should be mentioned that no further details regarding the sites that are of concern are included in this report.

Reuters reported in February that during an inspection conducted in June 2023, FDA officials found problems with document keeping and quality standards at Neuralink’s laboratory in California. The facility’s record-keeping and quality control practices were the focus of the investigation.

The examination was conducted in the United States of America. In contrast, the Food and Drug Administration inspectors had not yet decided how much action should be taken.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not comment on the issue, nor did it address whether these patients were afflicted with the same medical conditions described in the letter.

Neuralink didn’t respond to our questions about FDA concerns.

The company has stated that it goes above and above the current regulations for the care of animals when it comes to the way it handles animals used for research.

According to reports, in 2022, Neuralink employees voiced their displeasure with the company’s hurried testing practices, which led to animal suffering and the deaths of pigs, monkeys, and other creatures that weren’t needed for the trials. These accusations were made public, according to Reuters.

Neuralink is one of several businesses striving to help those who are unable to interact with the outside world due to illnesses including paralysis, blindness, and other problems. One company that uses this technology to translate human ideas into digital communication is Neuralink, which uses a brain chip.

This business, which has already implanted its device in two patients in the US, intends to conduct a study project in Canada that is similar to the one it has already completed in the US.

Musk has been tasked by President-elect Donald Trump’s team with cutting back on government spending on agencies like the Food and Drug team (FDA). The government of President-elect Trump appointed Musk to this role.

His role as the director of the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” may help shield his own companies from additional regulation or enforcement and increase the government’s backing for them, according to Reuters. The news agency provided this information. A piece that was published precisely one month ago revealed this information.

SOURCE: USN

SEE ALSO:

Canadian Media Firms Are Suing OpenAI in a Potential Billion-Dollar Dispute.

Increasing its Stake in OpenAI by $1.5 Billion is a Possibility for SoftBank.

Salman Ahmad

Salman Ahmad is a seasoned freelance writer who contributes insightful articles to VORNews. With years of experience in journalism, he possesses a knack for crafting compelling narratives that resonate with readers. Salman’s writing style strikes a balance between depth and accessibility, allowing him to tackle complex topics while maintaining clarity.

(VOR News) – One of the most prominent news organisations in Canada has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, a technology startup, alleging that the latter is engaging in “strip-mining journalism” and unfairly benefitting from the use of news stories.

This disagreement was brought about by the fact that the technology business used news stories as a training tool for their well-known ChatGPT software. Considering the circumstances, it is highly likely that the lawsuit was worth billions of dollars.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday and submitted to the superior court of justice in Ontario, seeks a variety of remedies, including punitive damages, a portion of the profits that OpenAI made from using the articles of the news organisations, and an injunction that prohibits the San Francisco-based company from using any of the news stories going forward.

These are just some of the remedies that are being sought.

OpenAI is attempting to find all of these items.

According to Paul Deegan, chief executive officer of News OpenAI Media Canada, “These AI companies are taking advantage of news publishers who spend real money to hire real journalists who write real stories for real people.” Deegan made this statement.

“These publishers are making a significant financial investment in employing real journalists.” “They are cannibalising proprietary content and they are free-riding on the backs of news publishers.”

They are engaging in journalism that is being stripped of its integrity in order to gain a large, unfair, and illegal advantage for themselves at the expense of publishers. This advantage is being obtained at the expense of publishers. They are taking these actions in order to accomplish what they have set out to do.

The participants to the present litigation include a number of media outlets, including the Globe and Mail, the Canadian Press, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, and Postmedia.

Furthermore, they are claiming damages of up to twenty thousand Canadian dollars for each and every OpenAI component. Based on this, it appears that a victory in court might potentially be worth billions of dollars if they are successful in their case.

By going beyond the plaintiffs’ consent, the defendants have taken the essential works that the plaintiffs have made for the news media and appropriated them in a deliberate and persistent manner. Since a considerable amount of time ago, this particular offence of misappropriation has been taking place.

According to the statement of claim that was released by the news outlets, the plaintiffs are initiating this legal action with the purpose of putting an end to and obtaining compensation for conduct that they consider to be unlawful.

OpenAI purposefully “scrapes”—that is, takes and replicates—content from the websites of news media businesses in order to collect the substantial amounts of text data that are required for the construction of their GPT models.

The objective of this type of action is to collect OpenAI data.

The business then makes use of this confidential information in order to develop its GPT models, without first getting the authorisation or approval of the relevant parties. This is conducted without first obtaining approval from the entities that are relevant to the situation.

The legal system has not conducted any investigations into any of the claims that have been made, hence none of them have been investigated.

This lawsuit is the most recent in a series of fights that Canadian media outlets have conducted against internet businesses based in the United States. Over the course of several years, these conflicts have been fought in battle. In addition to this, there is a contentious disagreement with Meta, the company that is Facebook’s parent company.

The arguments that have been presented thus far are not the only ones that can be found. A lawsuit against OpenAI has been brought by a number of American media outlets, including the New York Times. A number of other media outlets around the country have also initiated legal action against OpenAI.

A number of media organisations, like NewsCorp, Condé Nast, and the wire service of the Associated Press, have already inked licensing agreements with OpenAI. According to the most current monetary assessment, the corporation is estimated to be worth approximately $150 billion.

SOURCE: TG

SEE ALSO:

Increasing its Stake in OpenAI by $1.5 Billion is a Possibility for SoftBank.

NVIDIA’s Earnings: The Leader in AI Chips Demonstrates Relentless Growth.

Salman Ahmad

Salman Ahmad is a seasoned freelance writer who contributes insightful articles to VORNews. With years of experience in journalism, he possesses a knack for crafting compelling narratives that resonate with readers. Salman’s writing style strikes a balance between depth and accessibility, allowing him to tackle complex topics while maintaining clarity.