Apple and Google are preparing to deploy encrypted RCS messaging for multiplatform communication, finally solving one of the biggest problems with RCS.
RCS is the SMS successor, offering modern features such as reading receipts, high quality media, group management, file sharing, encryption, etc., making it competitive with Imessage, Whatsapp and Signal. While RCS has gained popularity in the Android ecosystem, Apple only recently adopted RCS to replace SMS during communication between iOS and Android.
Unfortunately, although RCS offers end -to -end encryption (E2EE) Among the Android devices, multiplatform communication lacked E2EE, although Apple and Google have worked to overcome this obstacle. According to the GSMA, this work has materialized, RCS encryption now supporting multiplatform communication.
“In my latest article,” RCS now in iOS: a new chapter for mobile messageing “, I celebrated the integration of the rich communication services (RCS) with iOS 18 of Apple, a culmination of years of collaboration between mobile operators, manufacturers of devices and technology suppliers”, ” Writes Tom Van PeltGSMA technical director. “Today, I am happy to announce the next step: the availability of new GSMA specifications for RCS which include end -to -end encryption (E2EE) based on the messaging layer safety protocol (MLS).
“In particular, the new specifications define how to apply the MLS in the context of the RC. These procedures guarantee that messages and other content such as files remain confidential and secure when they travel between customers. This means that RCS will be the first large -scale messaging service to take care of E2EE Interoperable between the implementations of customers of different suppliers. With other unique safety features such as SIM -based authentication, E2EE will provide the highest level of confidentiality and security RCS for stronger protection against scams, fraud and other security and confidentiality threats. »»
In a declaration at The penisApple spokesperson Shane Bauer said the company would move quickly to implement new features.
“End -to -end encryption is a powerful supportive privacy and security technology from the start, and now we are happy to have helped to carry out an effort in the cross industry to bring an end -to -end encryption to the RCS universal profile published by the GSMA”, ” said Bauer. “We will add a support for encrypted RCS messages from start to finish to iOS, iOS, iPados, MacOS and Watchos in future software updates.”
The importance of encrypted RCs
The importance of encrypted communication was highlighted by the hacking of American telecommunications by the group of Salphon of Salt supported by Beijing. Following this attack, the one in which pirates could access all SMS calls and messages sent via these telecommunications, the FBI and the CISA recommended that people use encrypted communication platforms.
“Our suggestion, what we have said internally, is not new here: encryption is your friend, whether on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication,” said Jeff Greene, deputy executive director of cybersecurity at Cisa. “Even if the opponent is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible.”
Although WhatsApp is the default communication method in many regions of the world – and E2EE offers – the building and text messages are always the default value in the United States, CRS Multiplateforme encryption is an important step towards securing the communication of individuals.
