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.
This came following a major cyberattack on telecom giants including AT&T T, Verizon Communications VZ, and Lumen Technologies 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:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
