U.S. military uses phone service not protected from foreign spies

An American military man is on the phone. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Two US senators have accused the Department of Defence of not doing enough to protect the military's communications from foreign spies.

Here's What We Know

Senators Ron Wyden and Eric Schmitt said the Pentagon relies too much on outdated landlines and unencrypted mobile calls and messages, leaving them vulnerable to spying. They pointed to Chinese group Salt Typhoon, which has hacked major US telecoms companies such as ATT and Verizon to spy on Americans.

The senators called on the Pentagon to review contracts with telecoms companies and require them to implement robust cyber defences. In the letter, the senators also noted that the SS7 and Diameter protocols used to route calls and messages are vulnerable to espionage. The Defence Department has acknowledged that these protocols are insecure but has not conducted its own audits, relying on reports from telecom companies.

Source: techcrunch