Right now, 2G around the world has either been phased out or is in the process of being phased out, especially as more carriers around the world are transitioning to 5G. Now it seems that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is asking Apple to follow in Google’s footsteps by including a switch that will allow users to disable 2G on their phones.
But why would anyone turn off 2G if 2G networks, at least in the US, have already been shut down? This is mainly for security purposes, simply because 2G isn’t the most secure of networks and can actually be spoofed by hackers, meaning that devices connected to it or tricked into connecting to it could have their calls and messages intercepted.
Usually when reception in an area isn’t so good, phones may lose 4G/5G signal and could try to hook onto an older network like 2G or 3G. If hackers can exploit this, they could create a fake 2G cell tower so that they can then steal and intercept communications. We’re not sure if these attacks are particularly common, but the fact that they exist means that there is always a chance it could happen, however remote.
Google has already introduced a 2G killswitch in the latest version of Android, which the EFF has praised, which is why they are now calling on Apple to do the same for its iPhones. Whether or not Apple will follow suit remains to be seen.
Filed in . Read more about iPhone and Security. Source: gizchina