China Hacked Downing Street Phones For Years (telegraph.co.uk) 75
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Telegraph: China hacked the mobile phones of senior officials in Downing Street for several years, The Telegraph can disclose. The spying operation is understood to have compromised senior members of the government, exposing their private communications to Beijing. State-sponsored hackers are known to have targeted the phones of some of the closest aides to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak between 2021 and 2024. It is unclear whether the hack included the mobile phones of the prime ministers themselves, but one source with knowledge of the breach said it went "right into the heart of Downing Street."
Intelligence sources in the US indicated that the Chinese espionage operation, known as Salt Typhoon, was ongoing, raising the possibility that Sir Keir Starmer and his senior staff may also have been exposed. MI5 issued an "espionage alert" to Parliament in November about the threat of spying from the Chinese state. [...] The attack raises the possibility that Chinese spies could have read text messages or listened to calls involving senior members of the Government. Even if they were unable to eavesdrop on calls, hackers may have gained access to metadata, revealing who officials were in contact with and how frequently, as well as geolocation data showing their approximate whereabouts.
Intelligence sources in the US indicated that the Chinese espionage operation, known as Salt Typhoon, was ongoing, raising the possibility that Sir Keir Starmer and his senior staff may also have been exposed. MI5 issued an "espionage alert" to Parliament in November about the threat of spying from the Chinese state. [...] The attack raises the possibility that Chinese spies could have read text messages or listened to calls involving senior members of the Government. Even if they were unable to eavesdrop on calls, hackers may have gained access to metadata, revealing who officials were in contact with and how frequently, as well as geolocation data showing their approximate whereabouts.
I could do that (Score:3)
It's weird to see a global espionage saga and say, "well that's dumb. I am not a wizard with nation state resources, but I could so that on a casual weekend." Their security sucks so much that my grandson could probably accidentally do that while settling up a game server.
Re: (Score:2)
Dumb? That's being polite! BJ's phone number was on a web site for 15 years: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-... [bbc.co.uk]
Re: (Score:2)
So? In those days, most phones were landline. There was essentially no internet. Computers were feeble with one megabyte drives.
Re: (Score:2)
Lots of weird things, however the weirdest is that this comes out just immediately after, not before, they approve a huge new Chinese embassy. Likely it's been held up as a secret deliberately to not interfere with the process?
Re: I could do that (Score:2)
Or right before his trip to China...some people fail to see the obvious. It's all political sabotage by sinophobes.
Re: (Score:2)
That's my point about the timing being after the embassy decision. A "sinophobe" would have done it just before the decision, hoping to force the rejection of the embassy. However bad Starmer's trip is now, it would have been infinitely worse in that situation. Makes it much more likely that this release was delayed by Sinophiles than the other way round. Also, from China's point of view it gives them an excuse to fail to deliver favors expected after the embassy decision.
Re: (Score:3)
> Their security sucks so much...
yes, it does, and the Chinese, North Koreans, Elbonians or aliens from the planet Zod shouldn't have been able to listen in. BUT of the named politicians, they all have a secret weapon - they *speak* in code. It's a code so complex that only very few can decypher is, and there's no way the Chinese can.
Boris: We're going to, er, well, er, put it mildly, er, well, herd immunity, er, I'll do a speech on television, er, rectum
Chinese code breaker: Sorry boss, I have no idea
.
Re: (Score:2)
I expect China is figuring out they don't need to do much anymore to destroy the west. We do it to ourselves.
Every country does this (Score:1, Troll)
The difference is the western countries admit when they get hacked. (Not sure if the US still counts - will find out in 2028).
China? Russia? Iraq? If someone is lucky, they just fire the General responsible for security. If not lucky, they fall out of a forty story building. And the press says it was an accident.
But they never admit what happened - because they are terrified of letting the common folk find out how bad they are at their job.
Re: (Score:2)
Yup, GCHQ doesnt have a massive budget for no reason. The NSA doesnt put its huge budget into a savings account for a rainy day. The CIA cant even operate on US soil...
If China is doing this and getting away with it, my issue is not with China but with my countries intelligence services not countering it properly.
Re:Every country does this (Score:4, Insightful)
As a Five Eyes (FVEY) member, there are security implications for the US and other members. So it's not some trivial matter to ignore.
Re:Every country does this (Score:4, Insightful)
Given how Trump is behaving towards the UK (tarifs) and Canada (tarifs and 51st state comments) right now I suspect that alliance might well be fraying at the edges anyway.
Re: Every country does this (Score:5, Insightful)
When you say Canada will be the 51st state then it's a joke. When the president says it, its a threat. Especially if he starts killing people inside the country and out at random. Especially when he says "no really, I'm serious about attacking Greenland". The job of President is a serious matter. He is not there to be a comedian. His words have a direct effect on everything. I wish Americans would understand to take the vote seriously.
Re: Every country does this (Score:4, Informative)
Let me guess.. you are a white male.
Re: Every country does this (Score:3)
...i wonder how they can tell that it isn't the cia doing it...Marble Framework, part of Vault 7...
Re: (Score:2)
The CIA and NSA aren't nearly as crafty as they were in the old days. That you and I know about the Vault 7 and other disclosures shows you have sloppy our intelligence in this era. In my mind it's no ECHELON. The ability to intercept advanced HF selective calling was a real gold mine for SIGINT, and a bit of a technological marvel.
Re: Every country does this (Score:2)
Who is the loser here? (Score:4, Funny)
End result China's IQ reduces by 10 points listening to limey blabber.
Re: (Score:2)
End result China's IQ reduces by 10 points listening to limey blabber.
Considering Boris Johnson was in power for nearly 3 years I'd be surprised if it only dropped by 10 points.
Whiff Whaff.
China? (Score:1)
Or someone making it look like China?
The news isn't that the phone's got hacked (Score:1)
So the hack wasn't a big enough deal that they didn't feel they shouldn't talk about it publicly and instead they're using it for some PR. Maybe to put China on notice. Maybe for some general vibes. I don't have enough of a background in foreign policy to know.
Re: The news isn't that the phone's got hacked (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Larry the cat? (Score:3)
Never trust anyone with the self-aggrandising job title 'Chief Mouser'.
Crap, another disinformation program disclosed (Score:2)
They've likely been feeding the Chinese bogus crap for years knowing the phones were being tapped.
Re: Crap, another disinformation program disclosed (Score:3)
I mean (Score:3)
And Liz "Bested by head of lettuce" Truss.
Re: (Score:2)
You do realise they're not directly responsible for the security apparatus, right?
Re: (Score:2)
You think all their WhatsApping was approved and monitored and correctly secured? Or in US terms, use of Signal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
And as someone who decades ago had a generic clearance, I'm disgusted. Back then even a peon like me was told repeatedly what you could and could not do. And they always reminded us at the time it was an offence that had the death penalty on the tab
Re: (Score:2)
And would have to have the mental faculties to not give away the game hypothesized by the GP?
Loud and stupid is no way to go through life.
It's embarrassing (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You know it will be run by Fujitsu, Capita, or Palantir, so of course their private data will be safe and secure, if over budget by an order of magnitude.
Wait until they find out about BYD cars (Score:1)
They'll really be incensed...
Re: (Score:1)
What about them? Any different from a tesla, except that they are better and cheaper?
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
https://militarnyi.com/en/news... [militarnyi.com]
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
So?
Tesla also collects all kinds of data, and despite their "opt-out" claims, you can't fully opt out except by disabling their networking with an axe.
No real difference here.
Re: (Score:2)
One of these companies is friendly with the PLA and the other isn't. That's the difference.
Re: (Score:2)
One of these companies is friendly with the PLA, the other is friendly with the trumpistani terrorist state.
The second one is more dangerous.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What is a "most honourable order of the bath"? I assume it isn't something given you in the Hogwash school of magic.
Re: (Score:2)
In 2014, a couple of months after he stepped down as Director of Public Prosecutions (and more than a year before he became an MP).
New embassy (Score:4, Informative)
Sure makes you wonder why the UK has approved that sketchy new embassy China wants to build, complete with underground rooms a few meters away from comm lines:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ne... [telegraph.co.uk]
Re: (Score:2)
Looking at it the other way - those tunnels make it easy for us to spy on them.
Re: (Score:2)
Spy on them doing what? Tapping data cables? Surely they're aware of the risks they're taking (or not taking, as the case may be). Embassies are already hotspots for espionage. They're not going to risk anything more than is necessary.
Re: (Score:2)
They're not building those rooms in the basement just to fill them with ping pong tables and a creche.
Re: (Score:3)
So as an actual Brit and one who isn't fucking mental.....
Basically the Chinese Embassy as it is now isn't actually in one building but spread over several buildings all of which are very old and for which plans are not available and they all have basements, the sizes of which are unknown. So our intelligence services have a bit of a clue of the layouts above ground, after all they can just go look at the house next door, but not of what's underground. Which kind of makes it a bit hard to keep an eye on wha
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Did they finally actually approve it? AFAIK the sale was approved (which was CRAZY dumb) but since then the UK has come to their senses and basically used local-city-council nonsense to stall any approvals needed. Or?
Uhh.. yeh.. (Score:2, Insightful)
So... why would the brits ever be surprised that someone would be spying on them using tech?
I think what's really
Thanks ChatGPT (Score:2)
Always good to have your take on virtually every story these days cut and pasted some cretinous poster who thinks they're being clever.
Re: (Score:2)
I was able to use this fancy new invention you may have missed called a hyperlink to look at your commenting history. Apparently, like myself you spend too much time on Slashdot and make allusions to things like tape recording off the radio which even suggests we're in the same approximate age group.
The big difference is, I write shit comments the length of small novels, you like one liners. We both seem to follow the pattern of offering nothi
Well there's yer problem! (Score:2)
... exposing their private communications to Beijing.
If Brits are engaging in "private communications to Beijing", then China doesn't really need to hack any phones to know what Britain is up to. Amirite?