End-to-End Encrypted Texts Between Android and iPhone Are Coming

Knifings, firebombings, shootings, and murder-for-hire plots—all linked to a splinter radical of the 764 transgression web called “No Lives Matter.” According to its ain manifesto, the radical seeks to “purify mankind done endless attacks” and has released astatine slightest 2 “kill guides” tied to convulsive plots successful the US and Europe. Intelligence documents reviewed by WIRED uncover increasing interest among analysts, but experts stay unsure however to halt the group’s spread.

On Monday, X experienced intermittent outages aft a botnet flooded the societal web with junk postulation successful an effort to instrumentality down its system. Elon Musk stated that the distributed denial-of-service onslaught originated from Ukrainian IP addresses, implying that the country—already nether siege by a Russian penetration and often mocked by the centibillionaire—may person been responsible. Security experts archer WIRED that this is not however DDoS attacks work.

Meanwhile, wrong the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, wide layoffs are hurting US cyberdefense, weakening protections against overseas adversaries. Vital unit cuts person near employees overworked and strained planetary partnerships, according to interviews with unit astatine the bureau that helps safeguard cities, businesses, and nonprofits from cyberattacks. “A batch of radical are scared,” says 1 employee. “We’re waiting for that different footwear to drop. We don't cognize what's coming.” As WIRED takes you wrong the agencies astatine the halfway of the uncertainty and chaos of the 2nd Trump administration, we've updated our speedy and casual usher to utilizing Signal to assistance you get the astir retired of the messaging app’s end-to-end encryption.

That’s not all. Each week, we circular up the information and privateness quality we didn’t screen successful extent ourselves. Click connected the headlines to work the afloat stories. And enactment harmless retired there.

End-to-End Encrypted Texts Between Android and iPhone Are connected the Way

Those “green bubbles,” the cross-platform substance messages that annoy iPhone owners and support Android users relegated to a group-chat underclass, aren’t conscionable a taste disconnect. They’re besides a information issue: Text messages sent betwixt Android and iOS devices—unlike blue-bubble iMessage texts oregon Android-to-Android messages—aren’t end-to-end encrypted, leaving them unfastened to surveillance oregon interception. Now, that whitethorn yet beryllium changing.

The GSM Association, liable for galore wide utilized telecom standards, this week announced that its Rich Communication Services (or RCS) protocol volition present enactment end-to-end encryption for cross-platform texting, and Apple revealed that it volition present integrate that diagnostic of RCS into its iOS devices. Until now, Apple and Google had some supported RCS’s different features successful texts sent betwixt iOS and Android, but not end-to-end encryption, which ensures that lone the devices sending and receiving messages tin decrypt them and not immoderate server oregon snoop that sees them successful transit.

Neither Apple nor the GSMA has said precisely erstwhile the caller privateness features are launching. Until then, anyone sending cross-platform messages would beryllium omniscient to instrumentality with apps similar WhatsApp oregon Signal that person agelong provided end-to-end encryption—and person besides helped Android and iPhone users debar idiosyncratic disputes implicit bubble colors.

Sean Plankey Nominated arsenic Head of CISA, America’s Top Cybersecurity Agency

The White House has tapped Sean Plankey to tally CISA, the bureau wrong the Department of Homeland Security chiefly liable for American integer defense. Plankey, agelong considered the starring contender for the role, served successful aggregate cybersecurity positions successful the archetypal Trump medication and antecedently held elder roles successful US Cyber Command. In that DOD bureau focused connected cyber offense, helium served arsenic a weapons and tactics subdivision main and earned a Bronze Star for hacking operations successful Afghanistan. CISA, similar galore national agencies, has faced hundreds of unit cuts successful caller weeks, and its erstwhile director, Chris Krebs, came nether harsh disapproval nether the erstwhile Trump medication for the agency’s enactment to antagonistic disinformation and unafraid elections. Krebs was fired successful a Trump tweet adjacent the extremity of his word aft CISA described the 2020 election, whose results Trump baselessly contested, arsenic the “most unafraid successful American history.”

Elon Musk Visits the National Security Agency

Not adjacent the National Security Agency has been spared from Elon Musk’s scorched-earth run to gut the national government. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had visited the quality bureau successful Fort Meade, gathering with enactment to sermon unit reductions and operational changes, according to existent and erstwhile US officials who spoke to the Journal.

Despite being 1 of the astir insulated branches of US intelligence, the NSA has inactive recovered itself pulled into Musk’s orbit. The sojourn to Fort Meade is different motion of the sweeping quality of his power and the bonzer entree the world’s richest antheral has been granted implicit adjacent the astir secretive national operations.