Google explains how Android protects against stingrays, SMS blasters, and smishing

SMS has been around for ages, and while it used to be a pretty common way of communicating with friends, family, and even colleagues— most have moved on to more robust solutions like RCS or even alternative messaging apps like WhatsApp. Of course, SMS isn’t completely dead, and we don’t see it going away anytime soon, especially because it’s still quite common to receive a standard text message in 2024.

Unfortunately, SMS messages aren’t the most secure, which means, there’s always the chance that it can be exploited by those with nefarious intentions. While you might think this could never happen to you, stingrays, SMS blasters, and smishing are actually quite common, so it’s a good idea to know about these types of attacks and how they work. In a recent blog post, Google does a great job of shedding light on the subject that doesn’t get talked about enough and even shares what it’s doing in order to keep Android users protected.

SMS is archaic tech, so it’s easier to exploit

So how does all of this work in the real world? Well, people are getting pretty clever, using devices called False Base Stations or Stingrays that simulate legitimate cell towers that are being used in your area. In a normal situation, your device would connect to these towers and receive a signal from your wireless carrier. What these fake devices do is create that same type of connection, but instead will knock down the connection from 5G / LTE to an older standard known as 2G.

Why is this important? That’s because 2G is so old that it lacks the security measures that are necessary to keep your connected devices safe. Once your device is connected to this 2G network, a smishing attack will take place, where messages will be sent your way in order to try and get you to reveal details about yourself or critical information about the accounts that you’re associated with.

Now, while this all might sound pretty scary, there is a silver lining here, and that’s that Google has been providing technology against these types of attacks for some years now. The brand shares that even with Android 12, users were protected against these types of attacks, and that the protection has only gotten better with each new iteration of Android. Not only does this apply to smishing, but it also applies to inconvenient and often annoying spam messages as well.

Of course, the latest features that get advertised on stage and in commercials are the most fun and exciting, but Google is also always working to make the user experience safer with constant enhancements to Android. And if all of this wasn’t enough, you can always check out our phishing guide that provides more information about these kinds of attacks, and also offers advice on what to do if you think something like this is happening to you or someone you know.