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The US Navy is ordering sailors to tighten up security on their phones, social media accounts, and personal info as ‘adversary cyber actors’ ramp up attacks on troops and their families during the Iran conflict.
Getting into it: Navy Secretary John Phelan laid it out in an April 17 Navy-wide memo, saying ‘adversary cyber actors’ are targeting sailors and their families with phishing attacks and fake social media contacts, with the goal of both manipulating them psychologically and getting them to click on harmful links and attachments. The Navy wants sailors to lock down their social media accounts, block apps from pulling their GPS, mic, and camera data, strip personal info off Google and other search engines, kill Bluetooth and WiFi unless they’re actively using the device, steer clear of public WiFi, and watch out for dating apps that ask for too much personal info.
Sailors are also being asked to pause posting on social media where possible, and if they do post, to check whether photos reveal clues about their location, home, or activities.
The advisory follows a string of cyber incidents around US forces in the Middle East. In March, a fake message purporting to be from US Cyber Command circulated through military channels warning troops to turn off location services (a message the command said it never sent). The Navy also flagged a separate incident in which the location of an aircraft carrier was compromised after a French sailor logged his daily run on the Strava fitness app.
This all comes as Trump threatened Monday that “lots of bombs will start going off” if no deal is reached before the ceasefire with Iran expires Tuesday evening, even as a second round of US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan appears to be taking shape (with Iran’s own signals on whether it will show up remaining unclear as of Monday afternoon).
