People with a smartphone will receive an emergency notification on Sunday (Photo: Gov.uk)

A cybersecurity expert has warned smartphone and tablet users to beware of phishing attacks by leveraging the government’s emergency alert, which is being tested this weekend.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, phones and tablets across the country will ring for ten seconds to warn users of an emergency alert that will appear on screens. The notification has no links and the alarm sounds even if the phone or tablet is in silent mode – devices with haptic feedback will vibrate.

The government is testing the new system, which will warn of severe flooding, fires and extreme weather conditions.

But cybersecurity expert Nick France, CTO at Sectigo, fears hackers could exploit the warning to scam unsuspecting users.

“This is a huge open opportunity for phishers,” he said. “Phishing actors are becoming more sophisticated and adapting to the needs and expectations of the public – and they will certainly get along with the fact that a national alert test for UK citizens is imminent.

“The government is right to let people know that the official warning will not contain any links, but citizens should be warned that malicious hackers impersonating the government may be sending fake emails around that date.”

Alerts will only be sent to smart devices – phones and tablets – on the UK’s 4G and 5G networks. Devices on 2G or 3G networks, Wi-Fi only, turned off or in airplane mode will not be notified. Only phones and tablets with iOS 14.5/Android 11 or later will receive the notification.

“I expect scammers will take the opportunity to send fake alerts likely to contain bogus links, relying on the fact that many members of the public are unaware or remember that the government alert should not contain any links,” he added . .

“I advise UK citizens to watch out for scammers in all unsolicited inbound communications, including text, email and social media messages, and not to click on links they are not specifically expecting.”

Sunday’s test revealed a number of safety issues, including the possibility of the alarm distracting drivers or alerting victims of domestic violence to secret cell phones for emergencies.

To disable the notification, go to your phone settings and search for “Emergency Alerts” and disable “Severe Alerts” and “Extreme Alerts”. By default, non-smartphones do not receive the notification.