Communication security

Mattis considers cellphone ban at Pentagon

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is considering banning all cell phones and personal electronic devices such as FitBits from the Pentagon, defense officials confirmed Wednesday.

Mattis had considered banning the devices before last weekend’s revelation that data from smart phones and watches, such as FitBit, had been aggregated in a way that revealed detailed location and personnel data on bases worldwide. The security incident brought more attention to the review, officials said.

Over the weekend, GPS tracking app Strava released a global heat map from users’ personal devices to produce an overlay of popular running paths.

Mattis has directed the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Joseph D. Kernan and the Pentagon’s chief information officer to review current security policies concerning the devices.

Cell phone use at the Pentagon will be part of the larger review to look at the vulnerabilities created by wearable technologies. Even if they are not hacked, the devices can transmit location and other personal data if a user has not selected appropriate security settings.