British soldiers – from the top brass to junior ranks have been banned from using WhatsApp for professional purposes over the fear of Russian hackers stealing sensitive information.
All serving personnel must adhere to the new rule, which took effect immediately or will face disciplinary action.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the ban on WhatsApp use by British military personnel over “significant security concerns.”
The decision was made after reports that Russia was using data from UK mobile phones to choose targets in Ukraine for airstrikes. Last Sunday, a cruise missile was launched on a training camp in Ukraine that killed 35 people.
The attack was reportedly initiated after a Ukrainian phone network at the base ‘lit up’ with UK phone numbers. The British military denied the reports saying the communication over WhatsApp is not linked to the airstrikes in Ukraine.
The British military went on the record contradicting this story. They aren’t asking personnel to delete WhatsApp and their internal communication guidance is not linked to the invasion of Ukraine. https://t.co/Jbjz1SU0p3
— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) March 21, 2022
Senior ministers and government officials may come under pressure due to the restrictions imposed on the use of WhatsApp for official purposes. The Prime Minister and other notable people of the government use WhatsApp for communications and have been targeted before by the Kremlin.
After the news, WhatsApp also insisted that its “end-to-end encryption” secures the chat, and no government can intercept the messaging data and calls.
Despite WhatsApp claims of encryption, UK and US intelligence agencies have intercepted WhatsApp calls and messages for national security. Even Prime Miniter Boris Johnson’s call with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was recorded in 2020.
According to the official MoD document shared by Daily Mail states,
“Direction: due to significant security concerns, all Field Army personnel are to cease the use of WhatsApp for work-related communications immediately. WhatsApp should only ever be used as a method of last resort defined as: a means of communication which should only be used in circumstances where failure to do so would result in death, serious injury or operational compromise.”
The ban has been imposed on both messages and voice calls over the app. Instead, British soldiers have been recommended to use an alternative for communication and chats, Signal. The platform is favored by the Secret Intelligence Service of the UK (MI6) as it offers advanced security features.
“Alternative: Signal may be used for work related messaging and voice calls up to OFFICIAL [a security rating for the information] only. Signal is free to download. It can also be used as a desktop application – and provides similar functionality to WhatsApp.”
Conversations (calls and messages) on Signal are stored on Signal and are not backed up, thus reducing the chance of getting hacked and leaking information.
The government spokesperson said, “we are not asking personnel to delete WhatsApp from their work phones, and the advice is not linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Facebook-owned, WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging apps in the world, with over two billion users. In 2021, the company was fined $200 million for lack of transparency regarding its data handling policies.
On Sunday, it was revealed that Russia is selecting airstrike targets in Ukraine using phone data harvested in Britain. Officers from Kremlin’s military intelligence division, GRU, visited British military sites, including SAS headquarters to record data.
According to a notice shared between SAS and ex-SBS personnel, if Russians find two international numbers or more in any location in Ukraine, it could trigger missile attacks or airstrikes.
Last week, a Russian agent contacted Ben Wallace, the British Defence Secretary, for a 10-minute meeting, pretending to be Ukrainian Prime Miniter.
British cyber intelligence has been on high alert since the Russian attack on Ukraine. The agencies have anticipated the Russian hackers will compromise networks of Ukraine, NATO, and Whitehall systems.
A senior intelligence official said that they have “braced” for the impact but are surprised that nothing has happened yet.
“We’re braced for a cyber attack….We know they have experience and capability in this area, but we can’t work out why they haven’t done it yet”
Experts have already warned against cyber warfare in the west. British firms have been warned to bolster security and prepare for potential cyberattacks from Russia as NATO imposes sanctions on the country.
Canadian firms also warned of possible upcoming cyber attacks that could soon, as the government has decided to send aid to Ukrainians.
