The British Army has banned WhatsApp over fears that Russia is hacking the platform to obtain sensitive operational information.
All personnel, from senior officers to junior soldiers, must stop using the phone messaging service for professional purposes or face disciplinary action.
A Department of Defense document confirming last night’s ban said WhatsApp use raises “serious security concerns.”
The order, effective immediately, comes after the Daily Mail reported over the weekend that Russia was using UK mobile phone data to select targets for airstrikes in Ukraine.
‘Aimed at the Kremlin’: The British Army has banned all its personnel from using Whats-App due to fears that Russia is hacking the platform to obtain sensitive information.
Last Sunday’s cruise missile attack on a training camp for foreign fighters, which killed 35 people and injured 134, was initiated after British numbers appeared to have exposed the Ukrainian telephone network covering the base.
Senior government ministers may now be under increased pressure to stop using WhatsApp for business purposes.
The prime minister, defense minister, foreign minister, and interior minister all use the platform, and their messages could be targeted by the Kremlin.
Last night, WhatsApp insisted that its “end-to-end encryption” system was secure and that governments could not intercept private messages and calls.
But security sources said UK and US intelligence officials were intercepting WhatsApp calls and identifying message senders for national security purposes. It is considered highly probable that Russia has acquired the same capabilities.
Notably, given such serious security concerns, Boris Johnson is believed to use WhatsApp regularly.
In 2020, he faced criticism over allegations that he spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over a platform.
A MoD official document seen by the Daily Mail reads: “Directive: Due to serious security concerns, all field army personnel should immediately stop using WhatsApp for work communications.”
“WhatsApp should only be used as a last resort, defined as: a means of communication that should only be used in circumstances where failure to do so could result in death, serious injury, or disruption.”
The ban applies to voice calls and messaging. Troops have been advised to use an alternative chat and messaging service called Signal, which is believed to provide advanced security features and is backed by the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Smoke is visible over buildings near the airport. The mayor of Lvov said on Telegram that the strike was not on the airport, but on the neighboring district.
People look at the destruction at a school that was hit by the Russians ten days ago.
Conversations in Signal are not backed up or stored, which reduces the chances of accessing messages.
The DoD document continues: “Alternative: Signal can be used for work-related messaging and voice calls up to and including OFFICIAL [a security rating for the information] Only. The signal can be downloaded for free. It can also be used as a desktop application and provides similar functionality to WhatsApp.”
WhatsApp, owned by parent company Facebook Meta, is one of the world’s most popular messaging apps with around two billion users.
It was fined £200 million in 2021 for lack of transparency regarding the handling of users’ personal information and data sharing with other Facebook companies.
Last night, its director of communications, Alison Bonnie, said: “WhatsApp secures your private messages and calls with the industry-leading Signal protocol for end-to-end encryption. So no government can intercept them.”
On Saturday, The Mail reported how Russia selects targets in Ukraine based on telephone data collected by its agents in the UK.
Officers from the GRU’s Moscow military intelligence unit visited some of the UK’s most secret military installations, including SAS headquarters, and recorded data as the devices were turned on.
Ukrainian soldiers (above) guard a bridge in front of a damaged Russian army vehicle on a road leading east of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
A view of buildings damaged by an airstrike as Russia continues its advance into Ukraine.
The database compiled by the Kremlin is now being compared with international numbers appearing on Ukraine’s mobile networks.
According to an urgent security notice given to former SBS and SAS employees, the appearance of two such numbers anywhere could trigger a missile attack.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, concern has grown over the threat of Russian espionage and intelligence gathering.
Last week, a suspected Russian agent was able to arrange a ten-minute video call with Defense Secretary Ben Wallace after he conned British officials while serving as Ukraine’s prime minister.
The Defense Department said last night, “Alternative messaging apps may be more suitable for work-related communications due to different types of security settings.”
“We are not asking employees to remove WhatsApp from their work phones, and this advice is not related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”