After reading in a newspaper that former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ phone had been compromised while she was there, the British government insisted on Sunday that its government employees have strong cybersecurity measures in place.
According to The Mail on Sunday, the hack was found in the summer, when Truss was vying to lead the Conservative Party and serve as prime minister. It claimed that the then-prime minister Boris Johnson and the head of the civil service kept the security lapse a secret.
Unnamed sources told the publication that Russian spies were thought to be responsible for the attack. According to the report, the hackers had access to sensitive data, including private communications between Truss and his political buddy, former Treasury Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, and chats with foreign officials about the Ukraine conflict.
While declining to comment on security measures, the U.K. government spokeswoman claimed that it has “strong procedures in place to protect against cyber-attacks,” including frequent security briefings for ministers.
Opposition parties called for an impartial probe into the hack and the information leak to the publication.
Russian hackers may have accessed Liz Truss’ phone, and if so, why?, questioned Liberal Democrat foreign policy spokesman Layla Moran. It would be unacceptable if it turned out that this information was kept secret from the public in order to support Liz Truss’ bid for the presidency.
Yvette Cooper, a spokesperson for the Labor Party on law and order, stated that “the news raises cybersecurity implications.”
She told Sky News, “The involvement of unfriendly governments is why cybersecurity has to be taken so seriously by everyone across government.” But there are also severe concerns about why this information or narrative has been leaked or briefed at this time, as well as allegations regarding whether a Cabinet minister has been utilizing a personal phone for important official business.
