Was Liz Truss’ phone hacked by Russian spies?
It has been reported that the personal phone of former U.K. Prime Minister, Liz Truss, was hacked by cyber-spies working for the Kremlin.
The Mail on Sunday newspaper has reported that private message between Liz Truss, the former U.K. Prime Minister, and international foreign ministers, relating to the war in Ukraine during her time as Foreign Secretary, fell into the hands of cyber-spies suspected of working for the Kremlin. Some of those messages, it says, included “detailed discussions about arms shipments.” The report, citing unnamed security service sources, claims the hacking incident was discovered during Truss’ successful Conservative Party leadership campaign.
Boris Johnson suppressed news of the hacking, report claims
The newspaper claims that details of the phone hacking were “suppressed by Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister at the time, and the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case.”
A U.K. Government spokesperson said that it does not comment on individual security arrangements, adding, “the Government has robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers and advice on protecting their personal data.” However, it is reportedly Truss’ personal phone that was compromised; the number of which was found to be on sale, along with 25 other government ministers, as I reported earlier this month.
There are currently no further details into the mechanism of compromise of the phone in question. However, the newspaper report suggests that this could have been a Pegasus attack. “The power of phone hacking software Pegasus must never be underestimated as its sheer presence on a target phone can be terrifyingly invasive. Its quiet, under-the-radar delivery method enables it to monitor the vast majority of a device, and those targeted will have no idea of its residence,” Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor for ESET, said. “High profile people such as politicians are often targeted, so it is extremely important they keep their personal phone number private and to change it immediately if ever leaked. It is also imperative that they keep their phones up to date and patched with the latest security updates to reduce the chance of such attacks.”
Opposition parties are demanding an investigation into the compromise itself, the leak, and the news blackout imposed at the time.
I will report further if and when more technical information becomes available.
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