Reports show that Sturnus spyware is being used to bypass encryption. It can read private messages sent by Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp to your smartphone. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an urgent alert. It stated that “multiple cyber threat actors” are “actively leveraging commercial spyware.”

Their target is users of mobile messaging applications. CISA now provides further urgent guidance. They urge individuals at risk of being targeted to “promptly review this guidance.”

Here’s a step-by-step guide to secure your smartphone. It includes instructions for both iPhone and Android. Follow the guidance from America’s Cyber Defense Agency against spyware attacks.

iPhone recommendations:

• Enable Lockdown Mode to limit apps, websites and features to effectively reduce the attack surface.
• Disable the send as text message option that would otherwise allow SMS use if end-to-end encrypted iMessage were not available.
• Use Apple iCloud Private Relay for enhanced security and privacy by protecting Domain Name System queries.
• Review and restrict app permissions, revoking those that are not essential, especially when it comes to location, camera and microphone.

Android recommendations:

• Use smartphone devices from those manufacturers with a commitment to long-term security updates and that support hardware-level security features.
• Only use RCS messaging if end-to-end encryption is enabled.
• Configure the Android Private DNS option to use a high-privacy resolver such as Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1, Google’s 8.8.8.8 Resolver, and Quad9’s 9.9.9.9.
• Ensure ‘always use secure connections’ is enabled in the Android Chrome browser.
• Ensure ‘enhanced protection for safe browsing’ is enabled in the Android Chrome browser.
• Ensure ‘Google Play Protect’ is enabled to detect and prevent malicious app downloads.
• Review and restrict app permissions, revoking them in the same way as for the iPhone advice.

Keep your smartphone & apps updated with the latest security patches. It’s free and mostly automated. This practice can save you from being vulnerable to hack attacks.