Russia FSB encourages government officials to stop using iPhones/Apple products
Russia FSB encourages government officials to stop using iPhones/Apple products
Russia FSB encourages government officials to stop using iPhones/Apple products
Russia’s FSB encouraged thousands of officials in the country to stop using iPhones and Apple products, alleging US surveillance, but the officials were not happy with the order.
Authorities in Russia have previously banned officials and state employees from using Apple hardware, including iPhones and iPads.
Government ministries and agencies have been banned from using the devices amid persistent concerns that the United States has allegedly spied on the activities of groups in the country.
As part of the ban, the Department of Trade said it would ban the use of iPhones for “work purposes” from Monday , while the Ministry of Digital Development said it would follow suit, the Financial Times reported.
A source close to the government agency told the report, “Security officials from various ministries – these are FSB employees in civilian positions such as deputy ministers – have announced that the iPhone is no longer considered safe and that a replacement should be found. “
Security expert Andrey Soldatov (Andrey Soldatov) explained that the Russian FSB and officials “do believe that the Americans can use their equipment to eavesdrop”. They added that while the FSB had “long-standing concerns about the use of iPhones for professional communications”, the change could meet some resistance.
Soldatov added: “The presidential palace and other officials objected to [the restrictions] only because they like iPhones . “
In some cases, government departments have imposed restrictions on Apple devices used for official business, but still allow personal use of iPhones and iPads . “Everyone complains that it’s inconvenient and they have to carry another phone or tablet,” said a person close to the ministry.
Alexey Lukatsky, another cybersecurity expert, added that officials don’t necessarily really want to switch to devices running the Russian-made Aurora operating system. “The use of work email on devices not certified by [the security department] has been restricted before, but most officials have not complied.” He also wondered how many “will comply now”.
The latest round of restrictions comes after the FSA announced on June 1 that the NSA had exploited a backdoor vulnerability in the iPhone, in which Apple was allegedly involved in its creation.
Apple was quick to deny the FSB’s claims, insisting on June 2 that the company “has never worked with any government to plant a backdoor in any Apple product.”
