In response to Chinese breaches affecting at least eight major telecommunications providers, the U.S. government has issued new security guidelines for senior politicians and high-ranking officials to better protect their mobile devices.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released an advisory Wednesday recommending that targeted officials implement advanced security features like Apple's Lockdown Mode on their iPhones. This feature restricts certain phone functionalities to reduce potential vulnerabilities.
CISA Executive Assistant Director Jeff Greene emphasized the importance of encryption during a press briefing: "Encryption is your friend — it makes your data unreadable, even if the adversary were to compromise it."
The advisory strongly recommends officials switch to end-to-end encrypted messaging applications like Signal for their communications. This guidance follows recent broader recommendations for the American public to adopt encrypted messaging apps to protect their communications from interception.
Additional security measures outlined in the advisory include:
- Implementation of phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication
- Setting up telecom-level account PINs to prevent SIM-swapping attacks
- Enabling advanced device security features
This latest guidance reflects growing concerns about cybersecurity threats targeting U.S. officials and comes as part of broader efforts to protect sensitive government communications from foreign surveillance and cyber attacks.
The recommendations highlight the increasing sophistication of cyber threats and the need for enhanced security measures among high-ranking government personnel who may be targeted by state-sponsored hackers or other malicious actors.