French Nuclear Submarine Officers Unwittingly Leak Sensitive Data via Fitness App

Paris, France – Officers and crew aboard a French nuclear submarine have inadvertently compromised their cover, location, and patrol schedule by recording their fitness activities on a mobile app.

The security lapse, involving the popular Strava fitness app, has raised concerns over the potential exposure of sensitive military information to foreign adversaries, including Russia.

Strava, a global fitness tracking platform, allows users to share workout data, including routes and performance metrics.

One of its features, which publicly maps exercise sessions, proved to be the source of the breach, as officers unwittingly revealed their movements and routines at the top-secret Île Longue submarine base in Brest Harbour, France.

The base is home to France’s four nuclear submarines, each carrying 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles with destructive capabilities thousands of times greater than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

These “black boats” operate under a strict doctrine known as ‘permanence at sea,’ ensuring at least one submarine is always on patrol and ready to launch a nuclear strike within seconds of a presidential order.

Despite stringent security measures—including biometric access controls, drone surveillance, and strict bans on mobile phone usage—an oversight allowed smartwatches with third-party applications to pass undetected.

According to a report by the UK’s Daily Mail, an investigation into the leaks revealed that over the past decade, more than 450 Strava users from the French military have been active at the nuclear base, unwittingly exposing their activities.

French newspaper Le Monde found that many personnel used their real names and kept their profiles public, making them visible globally. One officer, for instance, documented 16 runs along the docks where nuclear submarines were moored between January and February 2023.

His Strava activity then went silent for over a month before resuming on March 25, a pattern mirrored by two other officers. This suggested that all three had been aboard a submarine on patrol between those dates.

Adding to the embarrassment, one officer posted on the app upon his return, saying, “It’s tough to get back into sport after more than two-and-a-half months in a poo box,” accompanied by bubble and scuba-diving emojis.

The revelations have sparked concerns about operational security (OPSEC) within the French Navy. The ease with which the patrol schedules and locations of nuclear submarines could be inferred raises fears of potential espionage threats, particularly from adversaries like Russia.

The Le Monde investigation also discovered that bodyguards of the French, American, and Russian Presidents were active Strava users, potentially allowing intelligence agencies to anticipate and track high-profile movements.

French military authorities are now reviewing security protocols to prevent future leaks, reinforcing bans on unauthorized electronic devices and increasing awareness about the risks of digital footprints.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of how seemingly harmless fitness apps can pose significant security risks in the digital age.

 

This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members