Authorities have revealed that hackers based in China have compromised the “customer call records data” of an undisclosed number of U.S. citizens. To mitigate this ongoing cyber threat, using encrypted messaging can serve as an essential first defense.

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) disclosed this major “cyber espionage campaign” in mid-November. They found that China-affiliated hackers had “breached networks at several telecommunications firms,” leading to the theft of customer records, according to their announcement.

In November, the agencies noted the hackers targeted “a small group of individuals primarily engaged in government or political activities,” as stated in their release.

Recently, these agencies issued a collaborative guide aimed at better shielding U.S. citizens from the threats posed by this campaign. The guide, titled “Enhanced Visibility and Hardening Guidance for Communications Infrastructure,” recommends employing end-to-end encryption as a protective measure.

“The cyber activities affiliated with the People’s Republic of China present a significant risk to vital infrastructure, governmental bodies, and businesses,” stated Jeff Greene, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, in a news release on Dec. 3. “Together with our U.S. and international partners, we encourage software developers to adopt Secure by Design principles throughout their development processes to enhance the security of their users.”

Here’s a guide on how to transition to encrypted messaging and which applications provide this functionality.

What is end-to-end encryption?

According to Google, end-to-end encryption is a “security method that safeguards your communications.”

“With end-to-end encryption, no one, including Google and external parties, can access readable messages as they travel from your device to the recipient’s device,” the company explains.

Which applications provide end-to-end encrypted messaging?

In addition to Google, various apps offer encrypted messaging features, including Signal and WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta.

“Signal is very user-friendly as it functions seamlessly for everyone by default. WhatsApp is acceptable too, but it collects more metadata,” noted Thorin Klosowski, a security and privacy advocate at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in an interview with the Washington Post.

Apple’s iMessage is also equipped with end-to-end encryption, as indicated by the company.

“Apple cannot decrypt your messages while they are in transit between devices,” according to the company’s privacy policy.

Other messaging platforms such as Telegram, Session, Briar, and Threema offer end-to-end encrypted messaging as well. Facebook’s Messenger app also provides this capability, which became standard last year.

How to transition to end-to-end encrypted messaging

To start using end-to-end encrypted messaging, switch to applications that support it, such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Signal.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that if someone takes a screenshot or shares your messages, encryption won’t protect that data. This also applies to private messages sent through platforms like X, TikTok, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.

Some apps, like Signal, provide features for disappearing messages, which erase conversations after they have been viewed. On Apple devices, users can configure their messages to be automatically deleted after a specific period, such as one month or one week.

For more secure accounts, consider using multi-factor authentication instead of just a password for added protection.