The Cabinet Office recently issued guidance in response to a
specific security threat to the use of WhatsApp in Government,
Labour can reveal.
In correspondence with Angela Rayner on the use of private
communications channels to conduct Government business, including
ministers discussing Covid contracts, the Cabinet Secretary Sir
disclosed that:
“The NCSC and the Government Security Group in the Cabinet Office
may also issue guidance in response to specific threats. For
example the Government Security Group recently provided advice on
how to secure devices using two-factor authentication in response
to hackers using fake messages to access WhatsApp.”
This follows the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
confirming that its investigation into the use of private
communications channels at the Department of Health and Social
Care would include looking at WhatsApp messages.
, Labour's Shadow Security Minister, said:
“Ministers conducting official Government business via WhatsApp
risks exposing potentially critical information to hackers and
cyber criminals who seek to harm our country.
"While we know the Prime Minister has previously shown poor
judgement when it was revealed that he was still using his
personal mobile number which was widely available.
"This is part of a worryingly blasé attitude towards security
from the Tories which has now even seen them abolish the security
minister. To think they don’t need a security minister given
everything that’s going on at the moment shows just how reckless
the Tories are on questions of national security."
, Labour's Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor of
the Duchy of Lancaster, said:
"Private WhatsApp messages avoid transparency and scrutiny, and
could easily be used to facilitate the waste of taxpayers' money
on contracts for mates of Conservative Ministers.
"We need a fully independent inquiry into the Government
contracts that have been handed out over private email and
WhatsApp so we can get to the bottom of this scandal.
"We need all decisions and communications made during the
pandemic to be made available to the public inquiry, including
those held in private Ministerial WhatsApp messages."
