Everything is changing for IDF phone calls.
AFP via Getty Images
Updated on November 30 with a new cyber attack targeting Israeli smartphones.
So this is interesting. Just weeks after Google campaigned to promote Android as more secure than the iPhone, the smartphone battle has taken a sudden turn. The Israeli army has decided to ban Android phones for senior officers, for security reasons.
The news was broadcast by Israel’s army radio and was learned by The Jerusalem Post. “Under the expected order, commanders from the rank of lieutenant colonel and above will only be allowed to use iPhones for official communications. The step is aimed at reducing the risk of hacking senior officers’ headsets, according to the report.”
Even before the current conflict with Hamas and the widening regional skirmishes, there were many reports of “pot of honey“Attacks targeting Israeli soldiers to hack devices and infiltrate valuable data, including troop locations.
Ironically, it was only last month that Google trumpeted the Pixel’s inclusion on the US Department of Defense Intelligence Network (DoDIN) approval list. “Google Pixel phones are built on a foundation of durability and smart security that is seamlessly integrated into the Google ecosystem,” the company said.
Google describes this new certification as “an important milestone that underscores our commitment to providing federal agencies with secure, cutting-edge technology.” Given the progress Google has made in locking down Android, especially with Android 16 and Advanced Protection Mode, this will disappointingly make headlines.
Only the iPhone and Samsung had made the list before. Google said the Pixels “are the highest rated for security features that enable government employees to connect and collaborate securely from almost anywhere, even in the most remote environments.”
Not according to the IDF. This move “follows previous efforts to boost mobile usage,” The Post it says, “including training and internal exercises designed to raise officers’ awareness of social engineering tactics. In recent years, the IDF has even staged scenarios that mimic Hezbollah-linked ‘honeypots’ in the digital discipline of stress-testing units.”
Israel National News states that “in addition, the new guidelines are expected to prohibit the use of any military mobile phone that is not an iPhone. Android devices will be permitted for personal use, but prohibited for any operational or administrative purpose.”
Google has changed Android significantly over the past 18 to 24 months, beefing up its defenses to better compete with the iPhone. The next stage of this is the move to limit side loading from next year. But as a locked ecosystem, the iPhone still wins.
The sharp cyber balancing act playing out in the Middle East has not slowed down, regardless of the ebbs and flows in the physical battles taking place on the ground.
Ynet News reports that a “new Iranian cyber campaign targets Israeli officials with deep social engineering.” As always, there is a smartphone dimension and it adds fire to the debate about which ecosystems are best locked down and the need for change.
Israel’s National Digital Agency has now “exposed ‘SpearSpecter,’ a cyber espionage campaign linked to the IRGC, using WhatsApp lures, impersonation and a PowerShell backdoor to target senior defense and government officials.” The group has now “changed its tactics, moving away from broad, indiscriminate cyber attacks to highly targeted espionage based on advanced social engineering.”
