Pentagon Confirms Adversaries Using Commercial Phone Location Data to Target US Troops
By
Dell Cameron
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
The Pentagon was warned for nearly a decade that commercial location data from mobile phones could be exploited by adversaries to track US military personnel. Despite these warnings from contractors, analysts, and intelligence agencies, the military adopted almost none of the cheap fixes available. A newly disclosed letter from US Central Command now officially confirms that adversaries are using commercial location data from data brokers to target and surveil American forces in active war zones.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledUS Central Command now confirms it has received 'multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater'
For nearly a decade, the Pentagon was warned—by its own contractors, analysts, and intelligence agencies—that anyone with a credit card could buy a map of where American troops sleep, work, and store nuclear weapons.
The US military has long known that cheap fixes could stop location data from exposing its troops. It adopted almost none—and now says adversaries are using the data to target soldiers during a war.
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