Kremlin; the iPhone is over

[Ink]

Content source

https://www.imore.com/iphone/russias-kremlin-bans-iphones-as-putins-workers-fear-espionage-threat

Workers have been told that they have until April 1, 2023, to get rid of their iPhones, with one official quoted as saying that "the iPhone is over." They added that workers should "either throw it away or give it to children."

Officials working in the presidential administration's domestic policy, public projects, State Council, and IT departments are among those affected. Instead, they must switch to using Android-based phones.

Kommersant and The Moscow Times report that Sergei Kiriyenko, the Kremlin’s first deputy chief of staff, issued the "final word" on the iPhone.

Interestingly, it's thought that the Kremlin believes that iPhones are more at risk from hackers and espionage than other smartphones.

Citing an unnamed source, Kommersant says that officials have been told to replace even Apple's best iPhones with Android devices or something made by a Chinese or Russian company. Interestingly, this comes at a time when countries around the world are banning China-owned TikTok from their government networks and devices over similar concerns.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Investigators are tracking individual Russian commanders and solders in Ukraine using ANY phone.

 

[Trident]

Kremlin doesn’t like not knowing what time people eat, sleep and use the bathroom, amongst many other things. That’s why it is necessary to replace iPhone with a Chinese phone where more than 80 security holes will be patched (or not) every month.

 

[Jonny Quest]

Is it also maybe a bit of retribution?

"Apple is one of many companies that pulled out of Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine, even going so far as to remove Apple Pay support in the country as a result of U.S. sanctions".

 

[JoeN]

And this is the reason for this decision:

Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova

Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin...

www.icc-cpi.int

 

[Trident]

Is it also maybe a bit of retribution?

"Apple is one of many companies that pulled out of Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine, even going so far as to remove Apple Pay support in the country as a result of U.S. sanctions".

It is a retribution, though many Putin brainwashed supporters long time ago shot videos where they burn all Apple and Samsung equipment, in the same fire pit they use to boil their cabbage soup, outside in the front house yard.
New phones haven’t been legally imported for quite some time, they import them unofficially and sell them double the price.

I am expecting Russia to launch Baykal Phone or something similar. Something that resembles Nokia 2100 with flashlight.

 

[Jonny Quest]

Or, go all the way back to the Get Smart shoe phone technology and security

 

[Trident]

Or, go all the way back to the Get Smart shoe phone technology and security

It all depends on how fruitful Putin’s second war (the cyber war) will be in industrial espionage. Looking at CozyBear’s recent actions and malware, they now target home users to extort their crypto wallets (the inflated malware @Shadowra mentions on few threads is theirs) to sponsor bigger operations. If they manage to steal intelligence and patents, they may produce something like LG Optimus G. If not, then it will be the Get Smart shoe phone technology indeed.

Russia is capable of manufacturing everything and being self-sufficient. After they copy the way someone else is doing it through various hacks. In the coming few years, to prevent Russia from going back to the dinosaur era (which is questionable if they even left) Putin will invest much more in cyber war than anything else.
Businesses should really up their security game now.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

Russia is capable of manufacturing everything and being self-sufficient.

No that is not true. They are far from capable of being self-sufficient. They are bleeding because of sanctions. They desperately need chips for their weapons systems, but they are sanctioned so can't get them. That's why Russia wants to be best friends with China for chips and trade, China is keeping the Russian economy afloat by buying its resources like oil and gas. Russia doesn't hack to steal IP like China does at the moment but that might change, they actually hack for geopolitical or military interests.

 

[Trident]

No that is not true. They are far from capable of being self-sufficient. They are bleeding because of sanctions. They desperately need chips for their weapons systems, but they are sanctioned so can't get them. That's why Russia wants to be best friends with China for chips and trade, China is keeping the Russian economy afloat by buying its resources like oil and gas. Russia doesn't hack to steal IP like China does, they hack for geopolitical interests.

Yeah, this is what I’m saying. They can do everything but they must steal the intelligence behind it first. Russia actually does hack for IP. I have been monitoring APT29 closely after I discovered fake Piratebay clones pushing inflated infostealers a year ago.

The Russian hacking group trying to steal the UK's coronavirus vaccine

Established cyber criminals also known as APT29 were involved in obtaining and disseminating US Democrat emails in 2016, but in recent months their activities have been overwhelmingly focused on Covid-19 research

www.independent.co.uk

China is an excellent butt wiggler between the West, US and Russia but it will sooner or later follow the same faith as Russia with all the sanctions.

 

[HarborFront]

Yup, iPhone is a national security risk because it has backdoors. Everyone knows that giant companies like Apple, Google, Meta, MS etc are in cahoots with their gov, the USA

 

[CyberTech]

How about Nokia 6600? it was one of the best smartphone i've ever seen hope IT Dep read this as my post!

 

[Trident]

How about Nokia 6600

It will require know-how to be manufactured…
I liked E51.