Tag Archive for: SMS

Apple’s Pledge to Support RCS Messaging Could Finally Kill SMS


Good news is coming to your group chat. Today, Apple said it will add support for the RCS messaging standard to the iPhone. The website 9to5Mac broke the news that Apple will release a software update some time next year that will bring support to iOS for the messaging standard, which is already widely used by Android phones.

RCS, or Rich Communications Standard, is a messaging service that’s a step up from the SMS and MMS messaging standards that smartphones have used since they first arrived. RCS can do more than SMS and MMS: It allows users to share higher-resolution photos and videos between their devices; it supports read receipts; and there’s more fun stuff, like the ability to easily drop emoji and GIFs into a conversation. It also adds extra layers of security that the older messaging standards lack.

Apple has famously shunned RCS in favor of its own iMessage platform, resulting in a layer of incompatibility that anyone with an Android phone—or any iPhone user who regularly texts people with Android phones—is painfully aware of. Videos shared between iOS and Android are crunchy and low-bandwidth, and Android users are often confounded by group chats, with missed messages, absent emoji, and other glitches.

For years, Apple has been relying on SMS and MMS to bridge the digital divide between these messaging platforms. It’s the last major holdout, as RCS is already supported by major players like Google, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. When Apple adds support for RCS, it won’t need that old bridge, and the move could signal the eventual death of SMS.

“It’s long been time for SMS to go away,” says Anshel Sag, principal analyst at the technology analyst firm Moor Insights and Strategy. “Now SMS can die, it can be sunset. So all the viruses and all the security flaws that are due to SMS can be eliminated.”

The move isn’t happening immediately; Apple told 9to5Mac that RCS support will come “in the later half of next year.” This timing suggests that support could arrive with the next version of iOS, which typically rolls out in September.

So it’s a ways out, but it’s certainly closer than Apple’s previous plan for the feature, which was apparently “never.”…

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The Best SMS Text Messaging Apps for Android


Although SMS remains the only way to be sure of reaching anyone with a mobile number, in any country, very few apps currently support it. That’s partly due to the age of the protocol, and partly to advancements by WhatsApp and other messaging apps.

The latest Android app to drop SMS support is Signal (iOS apps were never allowed access to SMS, of course). The developers say it “no longer makes sense” to have an SMS component in the app. Signal reasons that it’s less secure than newer messaging standards, may attract extra data bills, and can confuse users.

Many people do still use SMS, however, not least to communicate with friends and family who may not have the same messaging apps installed or who are on a different mobile operating system. If you need texting on Android, here are your options.

Messages by Google

Courtesy of Google

Messages by Google supports RCS and spam filtering.

The default messaging app on Pixel and Galaxy phones is Messages by Google, although Google is pushing the successor to SMS: rich communication services (RCS). This new standard adds a lot of the extras now taken for granted in modern messaging apps, such as read receipts, group chats, and better photo and video support.

Messages will use either RCS or SMS, depending on what the contact you’re chatting with has access to (factoring in their SMS app, phone, network, and the country they’re in). If RCS is enabled, you’ll see notification bubbles, rather than an “SMS” label in your conversations, and all of the messages in your chat will be end-to-end encrypted.

It’s not the most elaborate or feature-packed app you’ll ever see, but there’s still plenty on offer, especially with RCS. Google can use a dash of AI to set up suggested replies, for example (just like in Gmail), links and numbers can be scanned for spam threats, scheduled messages are supported, and you can also access your chats on the web.

Pulse SMS

Courtesy of Pulse

Pulse SMS manages to pack in a lot of features.

As with Messages by Google, part of the appeal of Pulse SMS is that it can take your SMS out of the confines of your smartphone and let you access it on the web. There’s more to the app as well, though we…

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Sydney man jailed over $100k SMS phishing scam


Sydney man jailed over $100k SMS phishing scam

Sydney Local Court has sentenced a 40-year-old Sydney man to a two-year, eight-month stint in prison over an SMS phishing scam that began in 2018.

The man had created a number of fake websites for the National Australia Bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Telstra. He then contacted customers via SMS and tricked them into supplying personal information, which he in turn used to access their own bank and telephone accounts, and to create new accounts in their name.

The NSW Police Cybercrime Squad, working with the AFP, arrested the man on 24 November 2021 after working with the banks and Telstra to identify his victims. Also found on the premises were SIM cards, mobile phones, drug paraphernalia, bank cards, and a range of other electronic devices, all of which were seized by police.

The AFP reports that the man had scammed over $100,000 out of 39 victims, while the companies affected were able to place tighter security on other affected account holders, protecting a further 16,147 account holders.

Last Friday, the man was found guilty of four separate offences regarding obtaining benefit by deception, unauthorised access with intent, and obtaining data with intent. The perpetrator will also be subject to a 13-month good behaviour bond and a $1,000 recognisance bond on release.

“The AFP is committed to tracking down cyber criminals and bringing them to justice, no matter where they are in the world,” said AFP spokesperson Commander Chris Goldsmid.

“Scammers will use any tools they can to exploit people for their own profit. The internet and other new technologies provide opportunities to remotely access potential victims.”

Despite law enforcement’s constant urging that victims are far less likely to recover lost funds if they remain silent, a report released by internet security company Avast in 2022 suggests that almost half of the 37 per cent of Australians impacted by phishing fail to report it.

ISCOVER

“Reporting phishing scams that you encounter is critical to ensure we keep our digital world as safe as possible,” Stephen Kho, a cyber security specialist for Avast, said in the report

“Even…

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ALERT! Microsoft warns of dangerous Android malware on your phone that intercepts OTP, SMS too


Microsoft has warned of toll fraud malware on Android phones that can drain the wallet of the user. Here is what you need to know.

Is there malware on your phone? Microsoft has warned users of an Android malware called “toll fraud” that can drain the money in your wallet. Compared to other subcategories of billing fraud, which include SMS fraud and call fraud, toll fraud has unique behavior. SMS fraud or call fraud use a simple attack flow to send messages or calls to a premium number, while “toll fraud” has a complex multi-step attack flow that malware developers continue to improve, Microsoft said in a blog post.

“Toll fraud malware, a subcategory of billing fraud in which malicious applications subscribe users to premium services without their knowledge or consent, is one of the most prevalent types of Android malware – and it continues to evolve,” the blog post read.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

The company warned by saying, “for example, we saw new capabilities related to how this threat targets users of specific network operators. It performs its routines only if the device is subscribed to any of its target network operators. It also, by default, uses cellular connection for its activities and forces devices to connect to the mobile network even if a Wi-Fi connection is available.”

Also Read: Shocker! Mark Zuckerberg threatens Facebook employees; here is what ‘ruthless’ CEO wants

“Once the connection to a target network is confirmed, it stealthily initiates a fraudulent subscription and confirms it without the user’s consent, in some cases even intercepting the one-time password (OTP) to do so. It then suppresses SMS notifications related to the subscription to prevent the user from becoming aware of the fraudulent transaction and unsubscribing from the service,” Microsoft said.

Another unique behavior of toll fraud malware is its use of dynamic code loading, which makes it difficult for mobile security solutions to detect threats. Despite this evasion technique, Microsoft has identified characteristics that can be used to filter and detect this threat.

Mitigating…

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