A Russian cyber warfare unit is suspected of being behind a hoax call that involved an exchange of messages with an individual posing as a White House aide, according to reports.
The Prime Minister, who has not been named in the context of the hoax, stated last week that he was not embarrassed by the incident. He characterized the communication with the impersonator, who was pretending to be White House aide Susie Wiles, as a 'minimal exchange of information of zero consequence,' downplaying any potential security leak.
However, sources cited by The Mail on Sunday suggest the scam was orchestrated by Centre 16, a unit operating within Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that reportedly answers directly to Vladimir Putin. The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and MI5 are said to have identified a 'call pattern' through signal mapping and electronic surveillance, which can reveal the caller's number and location. While the sources did not confirm the call originated directly from Russia, they indicated that the UK has developed capabilities to intercept data from burner phones.
One source noted that 'all the indicators from this incident point to the Kremlin,' although the method by which Mr. Burnham's phone number was obtained is still under investigation. Reports from Saturday night indicated that former foreign secretary David Lammy had provided the number that was mistakenly believed to be for Ms. Wiles.
Analysts suggest that such phone scams targeting UK politicians by Moscow are intended as provocations to demonstrate Putin's perceived advantage in electronic warfare on the political stage.
Last week, the Liberal Democrats called for an investigation into the incident. Lib Dem MP James MacCleary wrote to Parliament's intelligence and security committee, requesting an inquiry into what he described as 'an egregious security breach.' The Prime Minister acknowledged that 'correct action' had been taken by both the UK and US in response to the hoax but offered no further details.
