Hoaxer posing as GCHQ boss prank-calls PM Cameron

Re: Two very different incidents

What is Cameron hiding?

I hope the phone call was unencrypted.

Re: Two very different incidents

That really sounds like a challenge !!

i would word that differently If I were you

Re: Two very different incidents

"handing out of a mobile number, whether classified or not, for any employee, let alone a senior one, is a serious security breach."

From what the story said, the hoaxer called the PM's aides, they put the call through to "Hug-a-hoodie" Cameron. So surely DC needs to give his aides a bloody good bollocking for not checking the call was genuine?

Re: Two very different incidents

But the handing out of a mobile number, whether classified or not, for any employee, let alone a senior one, is a serious security breach.

I'm expecting "prank calling" to be reclassified as "phone terrorism" at some point over the next few weeks, so that the perpetrator can be extraordinarily rendered (definition 18).

Also note that many employees put their mobile number in email signatures; those things sent plain text over the internet that anyone with a mail relay can intercept and read, not to mention programmatically parse for "M: <number>" or variations therein. You have to assume that anyone with an agenda already knows the phone numbers of most of your workforce, because it is fairly trivial to get hold of that information (you can even just buy a cold calling list or 2 and filter it for contact details for your own company, as a quick check of how much is out there already).

a potent mix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaethylene

> Well, assuming he takes calls from his backbenchers cabinet, he'll be well used to talking to people in that condition.

FTFY

I assumed the caller meant that Cameron was ...

"the hoaxer who told the red-top he was “off [his] face on booze and cocaine” when he rang the PM..."

Well, assuming he takes calls from his backbenchers, he'll be well used to talking to people in that condition.

___________________

Not just backbenchers if the rumours about the Chancellor of the Exchequer turn out to be true.

I don't see wy the PM's phone is so special, If normal people have to put up with almost daily automated calls about PPI* and and car accidents** that we could claim for, maybe the PM should as well to prompt them into doing something about them. In fact I'd have been tempted to enter his number into as many dodgy marketing sites as possible!

*My best response for stumping somene calling me about PPI, when I tried to tell them I didn't have PPI and to sod off... I told them I'd probably have noticed since I worked in the loans department of a bank, selling people PPI... :) I spent 5 years of my career, 4 years building IT systems for selling it quicker, then 'fairly' and then auditing it all up the wazoo, then one year of stripping it all out again :)

** I'm almost tempted to press the buttton for an operator and see how far I can take one of these before having to admit I can't drive and don't own a car.

Re: Optional

> does the fact that they haven't already arrested somebody mean that having metadata does not really help the security services catch people doing naughty things (tm)?

But did the caller actually do anything illegal?

Re: Optional

Actually what I find interesting is the coincidence of these prank calls being announced and Theresa May’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill (aka Snoopers’ Charter) is due to return to the commons after being discussed in the Lords. I suspect that once again the UK press are being manipulated, just as they are with respect their other current hobby horse NHS Accident and Emergency service levels.

Re: direct call

I can't think of a single emergency situation where the Cabinet would need to speak to the PM immediately, whilst I can think of a few for the head of GCHQ.

Re: direct call

> it reveals that usual practice is to give the head of GCHQ immediate and direct access to the PM, no questions asked.

Surely in a democracy, any citizen should be able to just ring up the PM?