Security expert reveals text you should never send, even to your family

SMARTPHONE owners have been warned about sharing sensitive information via text message.

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 at Keeper Security revealed.

Sharing passwords via text message, a seemingly convenient method, is particularly dangerous.

“No, it is not safe to text a password because text messages are not encrypted,” Aranza Trevino writes for Keeper Security.

“This means that anyone can intercept the data sent through text messages, including passwords, putting your accounts at risk of being compromised,” Trevino added.

In fact, the nature of text messaging presents multiple vulnerabilities.

This includes the sender’s phone, the carrier’s network, and the recipient’s phone.

Two of the biggest risks are SIM swapping and Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks.

SIM swapping occurs when a threat actor obtains your mobile phone’s account information and then transfers it to his or her phone.

The bad guy can then gain access to your phone’s data and important accounts, including cryptocurrency wallets and banking details.

In a MITM attack, a malicious third party intercepts communications between two participants to steal data.

Hackers can also attempt a “packet sniffing” attack, in which a hacker obtains information from the air that can be accessed via Wi-Fi.

Details obtainable through public Wi-Fi include email logins, banking information, 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 let you share passwords securely with limited access and extra security measures

Finally, some messaging apps offer end-to-end encryption, making them more secure than standard text messaging.

However, it is crucial to confirm that the recipient is also using the same secure app.