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Google realises that 2G networks are still prevalent in the market, even though 4G is the de-facto technology for most countries. But having a dated network in the mix is a security concern, not only for the tech giant but the consumers as well, leaving them vulnerable to possible attacks which may not have a fix. So Google realises this threat and has devised a feature to stop 2G networks from becoming a security concern for users.

The company has shared details about its first-of-kind security feature for connectivity, which can disable 2G networks on a phone that has Android 14 running. While Google uses the example of the United States for 2G networks, you could put India in the same context, where you still have millions using the 2G-powered feature phones.

The other concern is that even the older phones will latch onto the 2G network if the other networks are not available in the area, which could become a serious weapon for malicious attacks. Google feels that some hacker might disable the use of other networks on the phone, and limit its compatibility to 2G network, allowing them to access the device through a series of vulnerabilities in the software and the network.

“2G networks, first implemented in 1991, do not provide the same level of security as subsequent mobile generations do. Most notably, 2G networks based on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard lack mutual authentication, which enables trivial Person-in-the-Middle attacks,” Google explains in this post.

And because of these limitations of 2G, hackers tend to downgrade the connectivity options of a device from 5G or 4G down to 2G. These features have resulted in the rise of surveillance and attacks like Pegasus have shown us the dangers posed by them. The company says Android 12 was the first version to work in this direction, and was first introduced on the Pixel 6 but is now supported by all Android devices that are compatible with Radio HAL 1.6+ and with Android 14, this security feature is going up to another level.

Google has resorted to securing the enterprise devices with its latest version, who are at a greater threat from such attacks. These customers can protect the devices used by their people and also manage any possible traffic interception through 2G networks.