It looks like Google Messages customers are getting gibberish textual content messages. Some customers are receiving messages with a string of characters because the content material of these messages. They appear to be arriving in an encrypted type.
Google Messages customers appear to be getting gibberish textual content messages from unknown contacts
These messages mainly seem like gibberish, as you’re getting tons of letters and numbers in no particular order. Likelihood is that they’re arriving this manner as a result of they couldn’t be encrypted. You possibly can see a pattern under.
As a lot of you recognize, Google Messages makes use of Wealthy Communication Providers (RCS). That’s basically a safer method of texting when in comparison with SMS. It additionally affords superior options, resembling media sending, supply and browse receipts, and extra.
RCS additionally affords end-to-end encryption to extend privateness. Solely the particular person sending the message and the one receiving it will possibly entry it this manner, not even Google can see the contents.
This seems to be like a bug, because the messages seem like they did not decrypt
Effectively, one thing went flawed, as customers are getting these spam-like messages, as they in all probability couldn’t been unencrypted or one thing. Random messages, from random sources.
These stories occurred in a two-year-old Reddit thread. The factor is, the stories we’re referring to are all new. There have been a bunch of recent feedback prior to now week or so, suggesting that the problem is reasonably severe.
Now, there’s a bit distinction between the unique difficulty reported in that thread and the brand new ones. The unique submit was from a consumer who acquired a message from one in every of its contacts. That message did not be decrypted. After the contact despatched it once more, the decryption labored as supposed.
These messages are coming from numerous totally different nations
This time round, the messages are coming from unknown senders, and it’s not a one-off state of affairs, under no circumstances. These messages are coming from numerous totally different nations, together with Indonesia, the Philippines, Cameroon, Tanzania, and extra.
Is there something these messages have in frequent? Sure, a hyperlink to Google’s assist web page, an actual one. It’s truly a hyperlink that exhibits individuals what to do if a message fails to decrypt. So this appears to be a bug of some type, although we are able to’t know for positive.
On the time of writing this text, Google didn’t supply up a proof.