Key mobile security experts explain how the new alert system works \u2013 and whether it could be hijacked by hackers. <\/p>
No, it\u2019s not a scam: If you receive an alert this weekend claiming to be from a new emergency system, it\u2019s a genuine message from the UK government.<\/p>\n
The alert, accompanied by a siren noise, is scheduled to reach UK smartphones and tablet devices connected to 4G and 5G phone networks at 3pm<\/strong> on Sunday 23 April 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The UK government has said<\/a> that in future the Emergency Alerts system will tell you if there is a danger to your life nearby. The message on Sunday is only a test and is not informing you of a real threat.<\/p>\n But how exactly will the government use this system in future? Does the emergency system effectively hack your device to show this alert? And could the system itself be hacked in future? With help of security experts, we answer all these questions and more below.<\/p>\n Emergency Alerts is a new service that the UK government or emergency services will use to warn you if there\u2019s a danger to your life nearby.<\/p>\n On Sunday, there will be a national test of the service across all devices connected to a 4G or 5G network.<\/p>\n In England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the message will read: \u201cThis is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there\u2019s a life-threatening emergency nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.<\/p>\n \u201cVisit gov.uk\/alerts for more information.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a test. You do not need to take any action.\u201d<\/p>\n In Wales, the message will also include a Welsh translation.<\/p>\n The message is designed to appear on your home screen alongside a loud siren-like sound (or vibration, if your phone is on silent) lasting 10 seconds.<\/p>\n To get rid of this message, simply swipe it away or click \u2018okay\u2019, as demonstrated here<\/a>. If you accidentally swipe away from an alert before reading it, you can see what alerts are active via the UK government website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Most Apple and Android devices that can connect to a 4G or 5G phone network in the UK will receive emergency alerts.<\/p>\n To receive alerts, your device needs to be using these operating systems:<\/p>\n Older phones, or those set to aeroplane mode or turned off, will not receive the alerts. Devices that are only connected to a wifi network will also not receive the alert.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n No, the Emergency Alerts system does not work by hacking your device, and the message does not gather data from your phone.<\/p>\n As Prof Nigel Linge<\/a> \u2013 telecommunications expert at the University of Salford, Manchester \u2013 explains, the alert instead works by sending a one-way signal from standard mobile phone masts to all devices in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThink of it in the same way as how a programme on BBC One is broadcast via a transmitter mast and received by any television within range of that mast and is tuned to that particular channel,\u201d he tells BBC Science Focus<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo personal data is involved in the process and the Government won\u2019t even know which phones have received the message because it is a one-way process.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Emergency Alert system has absolutely nothing to do with phone hacking.\u201d<\/p>\n The UK government has also said<\/a>: \u201cThe emergency services and the UK government do not need your phone number to send you an alert. Data about you, your device or location will not be collected or shared.\u201d<\/p>\n Linge adds: \u201cShould people be concerned then they can configure your smartphone to ignore such alerts.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n While it is not recommended \u2013 the messages are intended to alert you of dangerous events nearby \u2013 you can disable these messages on your device.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n Although there is no indication that the UK\u2019s Emergency Alerts service is especially vulnerable, the system is unlikely to be completely protected.<\/p>\n \u201cNo system is 100 per cent secure,\u201d Prof Mark Ryan<\/a>, head of the\u00a0Centre for Security and Privacy at the University of Birmingham, tells BBC Science Focus<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe system will employ passwords and other authentication mechanisms \u2013 the weakest link is likely to be the way in which those credentials are stored and shared.\u201d<\/p>\n Security concerns have been raised about alert services around the world. For instance, in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security in the US announced<\/a> that it was forced to fix a system flaw that allowed hackers and scammers to send out alerts to mobile devices.<\/p>\n While not a hack, worrying alerts can also be sent accidentally. In 2018, residents in Hawaii were falsely warned<\/a> of an incoming ballistic missile attack.<\/p>\n The test on Sunday will be sent across all phone masts in the UK. However, future alerts may only cover specific areas to warn about rare emergency events such as severe flooding, fires or extreme weather.<\/p>\n \u201cThe test will be carried out nationwide within the UK, but the service does provide for a more localised option,\u201d explains Linge.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, if there was a terrorist attack within a city centre, then an emergency alert could be sent only to those phones that are physically close to where that attack occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n Many countries around the world use such localised alert systems, including the US, Japan, France and Australia.<\/p>\n Nigel Linge is a professor of Telecommunications at the University of Salford, Manchester. He researches the workings of 5G networks and location-based services. His work has been published in journals including Security And Communication Networks<\/em> and the Journal Of Computational And Theoretical Nanoscience.<\/em><\/p>\n Mark Ryan is a professor in computer security at the University of Birmingham, where he leads the Centre of Security and Privacy. His research has been published in journals including the International Journal Of Information Security<\/em> and The Computer Journal.<\/em><\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <\/body><\/html>\n Key mobile security experts explain how the new alert system works \u2013 and whether it could be hijacked by hackers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":26510,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered.jpg",1200,540,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered-300x135.jpg",300,135,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered-768x346.jpg",768,346,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered-1024x461.jpg",800,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered.jpg",1200,540,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/uk-emergency-alerts-has-my-phone-been-hacked-all-your-security-questions-answered.jpg",1200,540,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Key mobile security experts explain how the new alert system works \u2013 and whether it could be hijacked by hackers.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/26509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is the UK Emergency Alert system?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Which devices will receive the alerts?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Will the government use the Emergency Alerts system to hack my phone?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How can I disable emergency alerts on my phone?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
iPhones <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Android devices<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Could the Emergency Alerts system itself be hacked? <\/strong><\/h2>\n
How might Emergency Alerts be used in the future?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
About our experts<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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