‘They’ll be able to see your passwords’ warns security expert who reveals text you must never send – even to your family
SMARTPHONE owners have been warned about sharing sensitive information over SMS.
In today’s digital age, passwords are the keys to our bank accounts, social media profiles, and a wealth of personal information.
But how we share these passwords can be just as important as how we create them, experts from Keeper Security revealed.
Specifically, sharing passwords via text message, a seemingly convenient method, is filled with dangers.
“No, it is not safe to text a password because text messages are not encrypted,” Aranza Trevino writes for Keeper Security.
“This means anyone can intercept the data being sent through texts, including passwords, placing your accounts at risk of becoming compromised,” Trevino added.
In fact, the very nature of text messaging involves multiple points of vulnerability.
This includes the sender’s phone, the carrier’s network, and the recipient’s phone.
Two of the biggest risks include SIM-swapping and Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks.
SIM swapping happens when a threat actor obtains your mobile phone account information and then transfers it onto their phone.
The bad actor can then get access to your phone’s data and important accounts, including cryptocurrency wallets and bank information.
An MITM attack is when a malicious third party intercepts communications between two participants to steal data.
Hackers might also try a ‘packet sniffing’ attack, in which a hacker acquires airborne information accessed via Wi-Fi.
Details that can be obtained over public Wi-Fi include email login, bank details, social security numbers, personal photos, and videos.
HOW TO STAY SAFE
There are several options to keep your sensitive data safe, including password managers, password-sharing apps, and secure messaging apps.
Password managers securely store and manage your passwords, often with features like encryption and two-factor authentication.
Meanwhile, Password-sharing apps allow you to share passwords securely with limited time access and additional security measures
Finally, some messaging apps offer end-to-end encryption, making them more secure than standard texting.
However, it’s crucial to confirm that the recipient also uses the same secure app.