The FSB claims that the phones of some high-ranking Russian officials were intercepted by foreign secret services
The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) signaled on Tuesday an interception operation by foreign secret services of the telephone conversations of high-ranking Russian officials, an operation carried out by remotely implanting malware in mobile phones, write EFE and Agerpres.
“Russia's Federal Security Service discovered a large-scale operation carried out by foreign intelligence services to implant and activate malware on the mobile devices of high-ranking Russian officials with the aim of obtaining sensitive information,” the service said in a statement.
According to the FSB, those programs were used “to collect data, listen to conversations and spy on the audio and video environment around electronic devices”, being obtained including geolocation data.
Moreover, the FSB adds, with the help of those malware programs installed in the mobile phones of Russian officials, foreign intelligence services also had access to information stored on these devices.
“We can say that it is a sophisticated operation with extensive consequences and serious risks, which requires coordination between several states,” the Russian service indicated.
Therefore, it warns of the danger of “discussing confidential information through or near mobile phones”, since by hacking them “the content of these discussions could become known, with irreversible consequences”.
In March 2023, several media reported on the possibility of the Russian government banning the use of iPhones by state employees, a measure denied by the Kremlin.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the presidential administration does not use smartphones to communicate sensitive information.
“It is clear that smart mobile phones cannot be used for professional purposes, no matter what these phones are, there is no difference. Any smart mobile phone is a fairly transparent device, so it does not matter what its operating system is, Android or iOS,” explained Peskov.
