French nuclear submarine crews inadvertently expose patrol schedules through fitness app

Crew members aboard a French nuclear submarine inadvertently revealed classified information, The incident occurred at the top-secret Ile Longue submarine base in Brest Harbour, France, which houses four nuclear submarines armed with highly destructive missiles

In a major security oversight, crew members aboard a French nuclear submarine inadvertently revealed classified information, including their location and patrol schedules, through the fitness app Strava. The incident occurred at the top-secret Ile Longue submarine base in Brest Harbour, France, which houses four nuclear submarines armed with highly destructive missiles.

Strava, a fitness app that tracks user activity and displays routes on a global map, was the source of the leak. Despite strict security measures at the base, such as round-the-clock surveillance and a ban on mobile phones, smartwatches equipped with third-party apps went unnoticed and became the loophole.

Investigations revealed over 450 Strava users from the French military have been active in the base over the past decade. Alarmingly, many personnel used their real names and left their profiles public, exposing their activities to the world.

One officer recorded 16 runs along the docks in early 2023, with precise dates and times visible on the app. His account went silent during a patrol period, only to resume after March 25, 2023. Similar patterns were observed with other officers, confirming their involvement in submarine patrols.

The situation worsened when an officer, upon returning from patrol, shared a comment on the app, joking about the difficulty of resuming fitness after “two-and-a-half months in a poo box,” accompanied by scuba mask emojis. Le Monde’s investigation uncovered further concerns, revealing that bodyguards of the French, American, and Russian Presidents also used Strava, potentially exposing their movements and security details.

This incident underscores the risks of modern technology in secure environments and highlights the need for stringent monitoring of digital devices in sensitive zones.