President Donald Trump uses a cellphone not equipped with top security features and has rejected repeated attempts by his staff to harden his devices against hackers, Politico reported on Monday.
Trump regularly uses at least two government-issued iPhones — one a “burner” device capable only of making calls, and another that’s loaded with a Twitter app and “a handful of news sites,” according to Politico, which said former government security experts criticized the president’s phone practices.
Trump’s call-only phone has a camera and microphone — features that can be exploited by hackers, Politico reported, citing two senior administration officials as sources. As for the phone Trump uses for Twitter, the president reportedly has rebuffed his staff’s advice to swap the device every month, saying it would be “too inconvenient.”
Trump’s attitude toward his own communications security contrasts with Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state ― something Trump and his allies have assailed for years.
Politico said Trump has gone for as long as five months without getting his Twitter phone checked by security experts. The GPS trackers on both of Trump’s devices have reportedly been deactivated.
POLITICO✔@politico
Barack Obama’s transition team gave him a bare bones phone that he joked was essentially useless. But President Trump’s phone isn’t equipped with the same type of security features, leaving him vulnerable to hacking. https://politi.co/2Izv0WB
The White House declined to comment for the Politico story. A senior West Wing official told the outlet that the call-only phones “are seamlessly swapped out on a regular basis through routine support operations. Because of the security controls of the Twitter phone and the Twitter account, it does not necessitate regular change-out.”
Monday’s report is the second in recent weeks to raise questions about security surrounding Trump’s cellphones.
CNN reported in April that Trump increasingly relied on his personal cellphone to make calls. Security experts expressed concern that the president was exposing himself to security risks, including hacking and eavesdropping by foreign governments.
“Use of personal smartphones, which may not have all of the security features of government-issued smartphones or be regularly updated to address newly discovered vulnerabilities, present an obvious potential security risk,” Mary McCord, a former head of the Justice Department’s national security division, told CNN.
Similar warnings were repeated this week.
“Foreign adversaries seeking intelligence about the U.S. are relentless in their pursuit of vulnerabilities in our government’s communications networks, and there is no more sought-after intelligence target than the president of the United States,” Nate Jones, a former director of counterterrorism on the National Security Council during the Obama era, told Politico.
Ignoring phone security for the sake of convenience, “could pose significant risks to the country,” Jones added.
The White House announced in January that staff and guests would be banned from using personal cellphones in the West Wing for security reasons. Press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to say whether the restriction would apply to Trump’s personal devices, reported NBC News.
People on social media expressed alarm at the reported security shortcomings of the president’s phone use. Some were also quick to point out Trump’s repeated criticism of Clinton’s use of a private email server.
“Will [Trump’s] supporters cheer ‘lock him up’? Or does that only apply to emails?” wrote former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti on Twitter.
“Am I wrong that there’s, like, a 100% chance the phone has been hacked?” asked MSNBC host Chris Hayes.
Edward-Isaac Dovere✔@IsaacDovere
Hillary Clinton said she used one device that had both her private and State email on one unsecured server out of convenience. Donald Trump uses two devices interchangeably, and they’re both unsecured, frightening experts – via @elianayjohnson https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/21/trump-phone-security-risk-hackers-601903 …
‘Too inconvenient’: Trump goes rogue on phone security
The president, who relies on cell phones to reach outside advisers and to tweet to his millions of followers, has rebuffed attempts by White House staff to beef up security on his official devices.
Chris Lu✔@ChrisLu44
When I traveled to China during Obama Admin., I was given strict instructions about cell phone use and potential for calls to be intercepted. When I returned to US, security officials destroyed the phone.
Trump isn’t following even basic safeguards that all WH staff must follow.
Renato Mariotti✔@renato_mariotti
Trump reportedly uses unsecured private cell phones. Will his supporters cheer “lock him up”? Or does that only apply to emails? http://www.politico.com
YS@NYinLA2121The only thing more insecure than Trump is his phone.
Dan Pfeiffer✔@danpfeiffer
Here’s the President allowing adversaries to listen into his calls because he can’t be bothered to protect the nation’s secrets.
Can anyone make a real argument for why this isn’t a bigger deal than Hillary’s emails?
(You can’t)https://politi.co/2s3BAd7‘Too inconvenient’: Trump goes rogue on phone security
The president, who relies on cell phones to reach outside advisers and to tweet to his millions of followers, has rebuffed attempts by White House staff to beef up security on his official devices.
Chris Hayes✔@chrislhayes
Am I wrong that there’s, like, a 100% chance the phone has been hacked? https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/21/trump-phone-security-risk-hackers-601903 …
‘Too inconvenient’: Trump goes rogue on phone security
The president, who relies on cell phones to reach outside advisers and to tweet to his millions of followers, has rebuffed attempts by White House staff to beef up security on his official devices.
Chris Hayes✔@chrislhayes
Gonna be wild when the WH cancels the North Korea summit and NK responds by uploading sound files of every phone conversation Trump has had over the last year and a half.
