RAF man targeted in honeytrap plot to grab stealth fighter secrets
“Fortunately, little information was disclosed and the individual whose account had been hacked reported this matter expediently, enabling prompt followup action and investigation.
“Nevertheless, this incident serves to highlight the risk of social engineering (SE) and online reconnaissance against social media profiles that disclose links to HM Forces.”
The memo, written by the RAF’s Principal Security Adviser, continued: “SE is psychological manipulation to elicit confidential or sensitive inform-ation. SE can be instigated over the phone or in a social setting as well as online.
“A skilled and convincing operative will aim to elicit information through friendship, sympathy and/or obligation in order to accumulate pieces of information to build up a bigger picture.” An RAF spokesman added: “No F-35 secrets have been stolen. No F-35 information of a sensitive or classified nature has been disclosed via a dating site.
“The member of RAF personnel involved is not even associated with the F-35 programme.”
While the party behind the scam has not yet been identified, suspicion is likely to fall on Russia and China.
Both countries are believed to be desperate for information on the aircraft, which it is hoped will achieve aerial supremacy and evade sophisticated foreign air defence systems.
The first four of 138 F-35s arrived at RAF Marham in Norfolk in June.
The aircraft are among the most advanced fighter planes in the world and can travel at top speeds of 1,200mph.
They are all but invisible in stealth mode and can avoid heat-seeking missiles. One of the UK’s first F-35B Lightning II jets on its way to RAF Marham in June. The fighter can reach 1,200mph and evade heat seeking missiles This latest bid to elicit classified information comes just weeks after Bryn Jones, a former chief combustion technologist with Rolls-Royce, who provide the F-35 engines, was arrested in June.
The 73-year-old was detained on suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act after MI5 received intelligence that classified information about the F-35 may have been passed to China. He denies any wrongdoing.