It has been revealed that Donald Trump is still using his old, consumer based Android phone, that from photos, people have said, is likely a Samsung Galaxy S3. It’s a device from 2012 that has not seen a software update since 2015. For somebody that lambasted Hillary Clinton on a daily basis about an unsecured email server, Donald Trump is showing a gross amount of hypocrisy.
The President of the United States should not be using a device that can touch an unsecured network. It’s that simple. Any exposure to unsecured networks brings the risk of hacking. Security expert Bruce Schneier said the following:
I’m not concerned about the data. Anything he reads on that screen is coming from the insecure network that we all use, and any e-mails, texts, Tweets, and whatever are going out to that same network. But this is a consumer device, and it’s going to have security vulnerabilities. He’s at risk from everybody, ranging from lone hackers to the better-funded intelligence agencies of the world. And while the risk of a forged e-mail is real — it could easily move the stock market — the bigger risk is eavesdropping. That Android has a microphone, which means that it can be turned into a room bug without anyone’s knowledge. That’s my real fear.
The microphone. The camera. The GPS. It’s all at risk.
Then, of course, there is Twitter. It’s not impossible for somebody to gain access to his phone and tweet something outrageous, causing global turmoil until his national security team contacts everybody around the globe and says, “Never mind!”
For people thinking, “That can’t happen!” go and watch this 22-minute documentary called ‘Find My Phone’ where (start at 6:50) where young filmmaker preloaded spyware onto an Android smartphone and waited for it to be stolen. He was then able to look at any phones, watch videos and even start recording audio on the phone from a command his tablet.
It can happen. The President’s national security team needs to step in and tell Donald Trump to hand over the consumer phone. It’s a national security risk.
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