AFP via Getty Images
Updated on November 30 with a new cyberattack targeting Israeli smartphones.
So this is interesting. Just weeks after Google’s campaign to tout Android as more secure than the iPhone, the smartphone battle has taken a sudden turn. The Israeli military has decided to ban Android phones for senior officers due to security reasons.
This news was broken and picked up by Israel’s Army Radio jerusalem post“Under the expected order, commanders of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and above will be allowed to use only iPhones for official communications, According to the report, the move is aimed at reducing the risk of intrusion on the handsets of senior officers,”
Even before the current conflict with Hamas and the expansion of regional clashes, there were numerous reports of “honey pot” attacks targeting Israeli soldiers to compromise equipment and exfiltrate valuable data, including troop locations.
Ironically, just last month Google had boasted about the Pixel’s inclusion in the US Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) approval list. “Google Pixel phones are built on a foundation of mission-ready resiliency and intelligent security that are seamlessly integrated into the Google ecosystem,” the company said.
Google calls this new certification “an important milestone that underscores our commitment to providing secure, cutting-edge technology to federal agencies.” Given the progress Google has made in locking down Android, especially with Android 16 and its advanced security modes, this would be disappointing headline news.
Only iPhone and Samsung had already made the list. Google said the Pixels “have the highest ratings for security features that empower government workers to securely connect and collaborate from virtually anywhere, even the most remote environments.”
Not according to the IDF. The move “follows earlier efforts to crack down on mobile usage,” Post says, “Includes training and internal exercises designed to increase officers’ awareness of social-engineering tactics. In recent years, the IDF also staged scenarios mimicking Hezbollah-linked “honeypots” for digital discipline of stress-testing units.”
israel national news “In addition, the new guidelines are expected to ban the use of any military cellphone that is not an iPhone. Android devices will be allowed for personal use but will be banned from any operational or command purposes,” the report said.
Google has significantly overhauled Android over the past 18 to 24 months, strengthening its security to better compete with the iPhone. Its next step is to ban sideloading from next year. But as a locked down ecosystem, the iPhone still wins.
Despite the ups and downs of physical battles on the ground, the intense cyber balancing act underway in the Middle East has not slowed down.
Ynet News reports that “New Iranian cyber campaign is targeting Israeli officials with deep social engineering.” As always, there is a smartphone dimension and it fires up the debate over which ecosystem is better to lock down and the need for change.
Israel’s National Digital Agency has now exposed “SpearSpectre, a cyberespionage campaign linked to the IRGC that used WhatsApp lure, impersonation, and PowerShell backdoors to target senior defense and government figures.” The group has now “changed tactics, moving away from widespread, indiscriminate cyberattacks to highly targeted espionage based on advanced social engineering.”
<a href