Google Recommends Turning 2G Off On Android Phone To Be Safe From Phishing & Scams

2G is significantly less secure than newer network standards which allows attackers to use devices like Stingrays and False Base Stations (FBS) to deceive your phone into connecting to them.

Here's how you can disable 2G on your Android phone in four easy steps.

Source : Unsplash/Arthur Osipyan

Online scams and frauds are on the rise with new technologies and ways being employed in cyberattacks. Hackers and scammers continuously devise new methods to breach devices and steal personal, sensitive information. One effective step you can take immediately to protect yourself, as recommended by Google, is to disable 2G on your Android smartphone. According to a post on Google’s Security Blog, users are advised to turn off 2G on their devices. With the prevalence of LTE and the expanding coverage of 5G, 2G is an outdated network standard. But why is it important to disable it?

Firstly, 2G is significantly less secure than newer network standards. This vulnerability allows attackers to use devices like Stingrays and False Base Stations (FBS) to deceive your phone into connecting to them. Additionally, it enables the transmission of fake SMS messages that appear to be from legitimate businesses.

As a result, users may inadvertently click on links that lead to phishing attempts, compromising sensitive information such as banking login credentials.

As per Google, "SMS Blasters expose a fake LTE or 5G network which executes a single function: downgrading the user’s connection to a legacy 2G protocol. The same device also exposes a fake 2G network, which lures all the devices to connect to it. At this point, attackers abuse the well known lack of mutual authentication in 2G and force connections to be unencrypted, which enables a complete Person-in-the-Middle (PitM) position to inject SMS payloads."

Fortunately, since the release of Android 12, Google has provided users with the option to disable 2G on their phones. This means you can turn it off immediately if you choose. While this step won't entirely eliminate the risk of hacks or scams, it does lower the likelihood, which is definitely beneficial.

If you're uncertain about how to disable 2G, simply follow these easy steps below.

How To Disable 2G On Your Phone

• Launch Settings
• Go to Network & Internet
• Tap on SIMs
• Next to “Allow 2G”, tap the toggle to turn it off