- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
The iPhone versus Android battle has just taken a sudden twist as hackers attack smartphones.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20251130104350/https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/11/30/israels-idf-bans-android-to-stop-hackers-iphones-mandatory/
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
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Nice, so instead of targetting multiple platforms, a bad actor simply has to find a single zero-day to infiltrate the IDF high-ranking officers.
It’s not because iPhones are safer…
It’s because Israel can unlock any iPhone:
That article is from six years ago and states Cellebrite can unlock high-end Android phones. Since then, Apple has shipped iOS updates to secure against Cellebrite, while the only similarly secure Android phones are Pixels running GrapheneOS and Samsungs with KNOX, all in a perpetual chase.
So when the US government needed in a trump shooters iPhone…
They gave it to Israel, and Israel gave it back unlocked…
What did they do? Guess the pass code?
A “newer” Samsung is not an iPhone, and we don’t know which model Samsung it was or if it shipped with KNOX (though my guess is it wouldn’t have needed escalation if it didn’t have KNOX).
“According to Washington Post reporting, the FBI used Cellebrite software to break into the device of Thomas Matthew Crooks at the bureau’s lab in Quantico, Va. That followed an initial stop at the nearby Pittsburgh office in which attempts crack Crooks’ newer Samsung model were unsuccessful, according to Bloomberg, noting that the Cellebrite software was “unreleased.”” https://fedscoop.com/israeli-firm-behind-tech-that-reportedly-cracked-trump-shooters-phone-wants-more-fed-business/
Oof, you’re embarrassing yourself.
Your comments are embarrassing for you.
Read the actual article:
The Israeli military has decided to ban Android phones for senior officers, on security grounds.
So, it is because iPhones are “safer.”
Also, go get informed on mobile security. Cellebrite is well known for providing governments with tools to hack mobile OSes. Posting an article from 6 years ago shows how ill-informed you are on the topic. At least go find the most up to date information because security vulnerabilities are found and patched constantly. Six year old information is useless. What Cellebrite’s current capabilities are gets leaked periodically. Last I can find for iOS is Cellebrite can’t hack iPhones running the latest OS. It can hack Androids, unless they are using GrapheneOS.
As someone in tech myself, I’d rather have an iPhone than the average Android phone from a security perspective. If you really care about security and are willing to make some trade offs, use GrapheneOS.
Your comment is embarrassing you.
Read the actual article, not the second hand one linked:
Military intelligence has also exposed repeated “honeypot” schemes in which operatives posed as women online to lure personnel into installing malware, most notably in Operation HeartBreaker. Analysts noted that such campaigns sought access to contacts, photos, and real-time location data on soldiers’ devices.
The new step follows earlier efforts to harden mobile use across the force, including training and internal drills designed to raise officers’ awareness of social-engineering tactics. In recent years, the IDF even staged scenarios mimicking Hezbollah-linked “honeypots” to stress-test units’ digital discipline.It’s not due to security, it’s due to social engineering. The user will always be the weakest link.
The real article is linked in this second hand one. https://archive.is/Y7iCJ>>
I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make. The article you link still shows Israel’s military requiring soldiers to use iPhones and not Android devices for security purposes. Just because a hack is achieved through socially engineered user action doesn’t mean OS security can’t mitigate or aggravate an intrusion. It seems Israel is acknowledging that by setting this new requirement and assessing that iPhones are more resistant to getting malware installed on them by an unsuspecting user.
Ah yes, the old “reading is hard so I ignore the facts”. A classic.
Maybe you could ask Apple Intelligence to explain it to you, and what’s the difference between computer security and social engineering.
Here is something for you to read from the article you posted:
The Israel Defense Forces will tighten rules on mobile devices for senior officers and prohibit Android phones on IDF-issued lines, Army Radio reported on Wednesday.
Under the expected order, commanders from the rank of lieutenant colonel and above will be permitted to use only Apple iPhones for official communications. The step is aimed at reducing the risk of intrusions on senior officers’ handsets, according to the report
Good, good. You’re learning basic reading. Now continue read the rest of it.
Also, since you have no understanding of cyber security, here is Chatgpt to help explain the difference between it and social engineering. I even got it to explain it to a child’s level so it won’t have any scary big words to frighten you:
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Cybersecurity is like locking the doors and windows of your house so strangers can’t sneak in and take your toys or mess with your stuff. It uses tools like passwords, codes, and special locks on computers to keep everything safe.
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Social engineering is when a trickster doesn’t try to break the lock but instead pretends to be your friend or someone you trust, so you open the door for them. For example, they might say, “I’m your teacher, give me your homework password,” even though they’re not really your teacher.
The difference: Cybersecurity is about building strong locks, while social engineering is about tricking people into opening the door themselves.
I have a degree in cybersecurity and my day job is in cybersecurity. You’re not actually making a point that makes any sense to the original argument. Also, you missed the point I made. You also seem to not really be capable of connecting the dots made by the article that you linked. It’s the same point.
Here is a question for you: if the issue is members of the IDF are falling for honeypots and social engineering and being tricked into installing malware, why then is the IDF restricting its members to using Apple iPhones?
Hint: the answer is in your article.
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As someone in tech myself, I’d rather have an iPhone
Ok buddy
Useless response with no substance. Par for the course from you.
Pot meet kettle. You two would make a great team.
Odd, I thought Apple didn’t want villains using iPhones.
Fuck Israel, but I fail to see how this is Apple’s fault. Unless you mean it is Apple’s fault in the same way that it is GrapheneOS’s fault that criminals use their OS.
I was mostly joking about apple’s rule that they don’t show villains in movies using Apple products.
Pulling that Hugo Boss, fascism loves aesthetics
Das Appel das nicht only lurv das whites!
Here comes the apple boycott…
If you want to know why, try reading the actual article rather than comments from fan boys here. Here is the actual reason quoted from the article:
The Israeli military has decided to ban Android phones for senior officers, on security grounds. The news was broken by Israel’s Army Radio and picked up by The Jerusalem Post. “Under the expected order, commanders from the rank of lieutenant colonel and above will be permitted to use only iPhones for official communications. The step is aimed at reducing the risk of intrusions on senior officers’ handsets, according to the report.”
Fanboys can’t handle the truth 😂. Imagine downvoting someone quoting the actual article because reality doesn’t conform to your biases.
I spent quite some time in mobile security and I won’t use an Android device knowing what I know.
I’d like to caveat that this is not an endorsement of Apple security but rather a “OH MY GOD NO” about Android “security”
These downvotes brought to you by tech tribalism, read the thread
People hate that iPhones have locked boot loaders and you can’t boot a custom rom. Defensive security experts love that at least for now a critical threat vector is nearly non-existent.
I don’t downvote you because I like one side or the other, I do it because of what you write: Hefty claims with zero substance behind.
Literally the opposite…
Israel doesn’t want the IDF able to hide/leak anything about the ongoing genocide, so they’re making everyone use the phone that they can spy on.
Like, Israel says it’s for safety but they’ve been committing an open genocide for two years now, why they fuck is anyone taking their word?
Do you have any credentials at all here or are you just gonna keep reposting a six year old article about Cellebrite and a long since patched vulnerability. If you knew anything about this space, you’d at least try to post the latest info on which phones Cellebrite can hack. As for iOS, here is what I can find…they cannot hack phones running the latest version: iPhone Cellebrite Hack.
For Android phones, Pixels can be easily hacked, unless you’re running GrapheneOS: Pixel Vulnerabilities to Cellebrite Hacks. Non-Pixel Android phones are likely even more vulnerable given that few manufacturers even try as hard as Google to secure their phones and do as much to keep their phones on the latest Android version.
As someone with a career in tech, I concur with the original commenter. On the whole, Android is not a secure OS unless you run Graphene OS. If you care about security, I would choose Graphene OS, iOS, and then everything else.
Op is pretending you didn’t write this lol
why they fuck is anyone taking their word?
… You know why.
I spent some time knowing about business practices and user-hostile design and I’ll never use an apple device. And I’ll definitely never give apple another penny, fucking fake assholes.
I’d like to caveat that this is not a denial that google is horrible, their os is just the only reliable alternative to a Linux phone atm
Edit: this dude seems really invested in apple. He went back through the thread and edited in weird stuff in several of his comments. I think their appeal to authority fallacy is pretty glaringly on display. Fair to bring up that you know what you’re saying and why, but beating someone over the head with it just makes you sound wrong and like you’re giving a flimsy excuse as to why you don’t have to prove anything.
I think you’re doing the tech tribalism thing here whereas I’m talking about actual device security.
I get it’s popular to hate Apple. Cool. You’re cool for hating Apple.
Anyone who is genuinely interested in mobile security ought to read some of the white papers or device analysis’ which are available to the public. Security conferences are your best avenue for finding information available to the public.
Anyways, cool, hate Apple but for some reason give Google a pass.
On the contrary. Someone posted evidence showing apple bullshit is not secure and yet here you are saying it’s a fact and that any denial of that would undoubtedly be rooted in some baseless fanboy shit. K.
Ps I used to like apple until I realized that everything they claim to be is a lie. That and their entire business model is to prevent you from using your device any way besides ways that make them more money.
What evidence are you referring to?
As far as I can tell my anecdote about my professional experience is the only context here besides the post.
Your ps is irrelevant, I’m a security researcher and spent the last decade in this field, specifically mobile security. I’ll take my professional experience over the it’s cool to be a tech tribalist opinion.
Disagree if you’d like, the device you use doesn’t matter to me at all.
Edit popped the thread in a browser and saw the other comment. They were refuted there too. Fucking hell dude why are you beating this drum?
You can pretend they didn’t post a link showing that an Israeli software company can unlock any iPhone. Pretend is all you can do though. Kind of telling that I explicitly said fuck Google but you still insist I’m tRiBaLiSt.
And you claiming to be an expert couldn’t possibly mean less. I have no way of confirming that and honestly even if I did it wouldn’t mean you know everything.
Enjoy your unsecure, unusable phone in a literal fascist ecosystem.
The link is 6 years old and includes dated information about Cellebrite. You should at the very least post updated information about the latest mobile OS versions vulnerable to Cellebrite. Spoiler: Android is very vulnerable and I haven’t seen information that the latest iOS is.
I legitimately don’t see the link you’re referring to, I’m not pretending about anything.
Maybe it’s not federating on my end, could you link it?
Cellebrite struggles with iPhones, and some newer Android devices. Is it another company?
You’re getting awfully vitriolic about this discussion, I’m not sure if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of tech tribalism but this is it basically to a T.
Again, use whatever device you want. My experience informs my anecdote which has you so upset.
Lol it’s exactly cellebrite. Maybe don’t talk up your expertise so much?
Not sure if you blocked this user for proving you wrong in the past or what but it’s right there in the thread.
Thanks for at least speaking the truth to these drones. I think there is a certain type of tech fanboy that doesn’t actually have any technical knowledge, but likes to spout off. They think because they are fans they know something about technology, but don’t know about the real details of security and how exploits work.
They have difficulty accepting that actually iOS is more secure than almost every Android phone aside from GrapheneOS.
Lol like anyone here gives a shit that you fancy yourself knowledgeable
Talk about something of substance or don’t talk. If you aren’t citing security research or up to date details from Cellebrite’s technical documentation, then you’re not contributing anything. And, citing 6 year old articles as if it means something shows me I am more knowledgeable than you. I do have a degree in computer science and have studied security exploits. What about you? You’re an Android fan boy?
You haven’t said anything yet. Not interested.
Oh nice, a non-response because you have nothing.
Care to share more?
Rather than speak from my expertise which will be refuted (the thread you’re commenting on has already gone this route), go look at what mobile research says.
Graphene OS which is held up as the champion makes the same claims I do.
Watch conference demos, look at cellebrited claims from 2026.
I’m parroting what is known in the wider security community, it just doesn’t conform with what enthusiasts think.
The reality of the situation is when it comes to a nation state level actor no device is safe. That’s baked into just about all the infrastructure your device uses.
