How is this in any way comparable to an obvious security breach. This seems like...

Scoundreller · on Sept 6, 2021

It’s the only other case I’m aware of where a phone’s firmware hides silently sent SMSs sent from its user.

At least in this Russian case, you’ll see some indication on your bill. That’s not always the case with Apple’s SMSs.

zepto · on Sept 6, 2021

Sure but this is just signaling. Nothing is being ‘hidden’ any more than tcp headers are ‘hidden’ when you browse the web.

Scoundreller · on Sept 6, 2021

If I had an app that showed me all tcp headers and you somehow hid your tcp headers from that app, I’d be upset.

Especially if I had to pay for each tcp header.

zepto · on Sept 6, 2021

You don’t have an app that shows all SMS. You have an app for communicating with other people via SMS.

nitrogen · on Sept 6, 2021

"Just signalling," seriously? Apple and the carrier are also "other people." Whose phone is it anyway? Any action taken by a device one controls should be made transparent and auditable by the device's owner. They are meant to be tools, not undomesticated semi-wild animals with a will and mind of their own.

zepto · on Sept 6, 2021

> Just signalling," seriously?

Yes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signaling_(telecommunications)

> Apple and the carrier are also "other people."

Don’t be silly.

> Whose phone is it anyway?

Whoever bought the phone.

> Any action taken by a device one controls should be made transparent and auditable by the device's owner.

Ok, this is a moral and ideological position in favor of all designs of all silicon, all circuitry, and and all software being entirely open source.

It’s valid to argue that we should live in such a world, but it’s not an argument that Apple using SMS for signaling is equivalent to malware. Sorry.

> They are meant to be tools,

They are tools.

> not undomesticated semi-wild animals with a will and mind of their own.

Weird analogy to use to describe signaling traffic.