Hoax call to David Cameron prompts security review | Hacker News Reader

Hoax call to David Cameron prompts security review

bbc.co.uk

20 pointsiamben11 comments

"Needs more surveillance" - David

I would bet there will be a few interviews without tea and buiscuits over this.

I know the peopel are the weakest link but geting the Director of GCHQs number via social engineering one have hoped the GCHQ woudl have trained its staff better.

Just curious, how is this HN worthy?

I think it's slightly interesting in context of Cameron's recent comments against secure crypto and increasing surveillance. Surveillance can't prevent pretexting attacks like this, nor did crypto enable the perpetrator to carry out the attack.

Because enough members of HN found this interesting enough to up-vote the article.

The criteria is as simple as that.

"Anything that good hackers would find interesting / that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity."

Having read and enjoyed the Kevin Mitnick books, and based on the fact the target is extraordinarily high profile, I thought the social engineering side was interesting and others may feel the same.

"Back in the day" Steve Wozniak used his blue-box to call The Vatican, and was almost able to talk to the Pope by doing an impersonation of Henry Kissinger. So there's some history behind pranks like this.

It's a hack. I have no idea how to find David Cameron's offices number, and is a fairly good piece of social engineering reminding us that the old school still has some fight left.

As for the security review - this is just to cover them in case someone puts the .wav file online.

I'm sure that someone now has his mobile phone number they are able to track his movements via SS7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ0I5tl0YLY

It says explicitly in the article:

> The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said the caller was put through to Mr Cameron by the Downing Street switchboard and the prime minister's phone number was not given out.

Also in the same piece

> Incredible as it may seem the prankster managed to obtain mobile numbers for both the head of the GCHQ surveillance centre and the prime minister by bluffing his way past both sets of switchboards.

So, we wonder, which is it ?

And, it also doesn't seem to me that incredible. Humans are the weak link.

> A government spokeswoman said a notice has gone out to all departments to be on the alert for hoax calls following the incident.

I presume, then, that normally hoax calls are not considered likely to occur - that is more incredible to me!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com