Experts urge Britons to STOP sending SMS text messages - amid fears hackers could intercept data
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They've kept people in touch with friends and family for more than a quarter of a century, but the era of SMS messaging may finally be over. Experts warn that the 'outdated' technology – which was developed in Europe in the 1980s – puts your messages at risk of being intercepted by cybercriminals.
![[The the very first SMS message - simply reading 'Merry Christmas' - was sent by British engineer Neil Papworth in 1992 (pictured here in a more recent photo). More than 30 years later, SMS messages are still sent by millions all over the world using texts, videos and emojis]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/16/94173757-14284139-image-a-6_1737044131224.jpg)
Instead, the public should be using 'encrypted' apps like WhatsApp, which turn your messages into secret code that can only be deciphered by the recipient. Dan Lattimer, cyber expert at software firm Semperis, told MailOnline: 'SMS lacks encryption, making it more vulnerable to interception, spoofing, and other forms of unauthorised access.
![[The world's first text message was sent in December 1992 by engineer Neil Papworth from his computer to colleague Richard Jarvis and simply said 'Merry Christmas'.]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/15/51853065-14284139-The_world_s_first_text_message_was_sent_in_December_1992_by_engi-a-1_1737039994275.jpg)
'From a security perspective, transitioning from SMS to encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, or others may be prudent, especially when communicating sensitive or personal information.'. John Kingston, cyber security lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, called SMS messaging 'an old technology' and 'therefore vulnerable in more ways than one'.
![[SMS has largely been superseded by messaging apps like WhatsApp (pictured) which uses end-to-end encryption]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/16/94129301-14284139-image-m-17_1736959792975.jpg)
'SMS has many of the same vulnerabilities that emails do, such as sending fake phishing links or flooding recipients with masses of unwanted messages,' he told MailOnline. 'But SMS messages can actually be intercepted and redirected to another phone.'. As the average millennial will remember, SMS was an integral part of using a mobile phone, whether you had the Nokia 3310, the BlackBerry and the Motorola Razr.
![[Android phones use Google Messages (left) for sending and receiving SMS messages (as well as encrypted messages) while iPhones use iMessage (right)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/16/92824001-14284139-Google_Messages_is_a_text_messaging_software_application_develop-a-12_1736957502635.jpg)
