Journalists “hacked” the fleet with the help of a stamp and postcard.
Sometimes to reveal military secrets, you do not need complex technology or access to secret bases. In the case of the Dutch frigate Zr.Ms. Evertsen was enough cheap asshole for a few euros, postcards and a couple of brands.
Journalists from Omroep Gelderland were able to trace how the warship moved, which is involved in a mission that protects the French aircraft carrier from missile attacks. The coordinates of such a vessel are considered extremely sensitive. Recently, a similar case has already occurred in France, when the military accidentally revealed the location of the aircraft carrier through a sports application.
This time, the vulnerability was even easier. On board the frigate hit a regular Bluetooth tracker that is sold on the Internet and usually helps to find lost keys. The device was sent by mail along with a postcard. In the Netherlands, the military has its own postal service, which allows you to keep in touch with their relatives. Instructions for sending letters are publicly available.
It was through such a system that the tracker was easily on the ship. The parcels are checked with X-ray equipment, but the envelopes are not translucent. Therefore, the device, hidden in the postcard, calmly passed the check.
After sending the tracker’s path could be tracked online. First, he passed the sorting center, then found himself at the naval base in Den-Helder, then at the airport of Eindhoven and soon reached Crete. In the port of Heraklion, journalists noticed a frigate through webcams. On the morning of March 27, the camera recorded how the ship went to sea.
Then the tracker allowed to monitor the route already at a distance of thousands of kilometers. The ship first moved along the coast of Crete to the west, then changed course to the east. Only a day later, when the frigate was near Cyprus, the signal disappeared.
Former Lieutenant General Mart de Cruyrif directly says such leaks are unacceptable. Modern weapons allow you to hit targets with high accuracy, but for this you need to know the coordinates. According to him, the warship under no circumstances should reveal its location.
National security lawyer Rovin Jansen adds that in the face of current tensions, priority should be on the side of security, even if we are talking about correspondence with relatives. He notes the risk that such a scheme can be repeated by attackers and use the data for attack.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence has already responded to the situation. Now it is forbidden to send card cards with batteries to the frigate, and the rules of the military mail are revised. The tracker itself was discovered after the ship left the port. The department said that the incident did not prevent the task.
At the same time, the instructions for sending letters are not planned to be removed. The ministry believes it is important that the military can keep in touch with loved ones. Defense Minister Dylan Yesilgöz has already notified Parliament of the incident. Journalists emphasize that they deliberately did not publish the exact coordinates so as not to jeopardize the security of the mission.
Sometimes to reveal military secrets, you do not need complex technology or access to secret bases. In the case of the Dutch frigate Zr.Ms. Evertsen was enough cheap asshole for a few euros, postcards and a couple of brands.
Journalists from Omroep Gelderland were able to trace how the warship moved, which is involved in a mission that protects the French aircraft carrier from missile attacks. The coordinates of such a vessel are considered extremely sensitive. Recently, a similar case has already occurred in France, when the military accidentally revealed the location of the aircraft carrier through a sports application.
This time, the vulnerability was even easier. On board the frigate hit a regular Bluetooth tracker that is sold on the Internet and usually helps to find lost keys. The device was sent by mail along with a postcard. In the Netherlands, the military has its own postal service, which allows you to keep in touch with their relatives. Instructions for sending letters are publicly available.
It was through such a system that the tracker was easily on the ship. The parcels are checked with X-ray equipment, but the envelopes are not translucent. Therefore, the device, hidden in the postcard, calmly passed the check.
After sending the tracker’s path could be tracked online. First, he passed the sorting center, then found himself at the naval base in Den-Helder, then at the airport of Eindhoven and soon reached Crete. In the port of Heraklion, journalists noticed a frigate through webcams. On the morning of March 27, the camera recorded how the ship went to sea.
Then the tracker allowed to monitor the route already at a distance of thousands of kilometers. The ship first moved along the coast of Crete to the west, then changed course to the east. Only a day later, when the frigate was near Cyprus, the signal disappeared.
Former Lieutenant General Mart de Cruyrif directly says such leaks are unacceptable. Modern weapons allow you to hit targets with high accuracy, but for this you need to know the coordinates. According to him, the warship under no circumstances should reveal its location.
National security lawyer Rovin Jansen adds that in the face of current tensions, priority should be on the side of security, even if we are talking about correspondence with relatives. He notes the risk that such a scheme can be repeated by attackers and use the data for attack.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence has already responded to the situation. Now it is forbidden to send card cards with batteries to the frigate, and the rules of the military mail are revised. The tracker itself was discovered after the ship left the port. The department said that the incident did not prevent the task.
At the same time, the instructions for sending letters are not planned to be removed. The ministry believes it is important that the military can keep in touch with loved ones. Defense Minister Dylan Yesilgöz has already notified Parliament of the incident. Journalists emphasize that they deliberately did not publish the exact coordinates so as not to jeopardize the security of the mission.