Watchdog finds Secret Service used personal phones during protective missions

A federal watchdog has found that Secret Service personnel repeatedly relied on personal mobile phones during protective operations, including assignments in the United States and abroad, because agency-issued devices were not fully equipped for mission use.

The findings come from a Department of Homeland Security inspector general review ordered after the 2024 assassination attempt against President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to the report, the agency’s mobile security posture was weak enough to create risk for agents and for the officials they protect.

Security gaps on government devices

The review said even when employees used government-furnished devices, those phones did not provide enough protection against ongoing cyber threats from foreign adversaries or other attackers. Investigators also identified vulnerable applications on agency devices. The inspector general said the environment left open the possibility of surveillance, location tracking, communication interception, and malware installation.

Because personal phones are not managed by the government, they can expose mission details, contacts, photos, and location data. The report warned that compromised or outdated devices connected to unsecured networks could be used to monitor employees or record their communications.

Widespread use of personal devices

Reviewing call and text records from October 2022 through May 2025, investigators found more than 15,000 instances in which Secret Service staff exchanged calls with colleagues’ personal phones during protective events, out of 4.8 million total calls examined.

The inspector general also reviewed travel reimbursement records and found 30 employees who claimed expenses for using personal phones on official business while traveling overseas. Many of those interviewed said they needed their personal devices for nearly every foreign assignment. Some also used personal phones as hotspots for agency laptops or to reach websites blocked on government-issued phones.

Recommended fixes

The report made five recommendations, including:

• creating a formal policy to ensure government devices can support mission needs securely
• strengthening cybersecurity awareness training
• clearly telling staff that personal devices are not permitted for official business
• ensuring mobile devices used on international missions are wiped on return
• expanding vulnerability testing policies to cover all mobile app code

The Secret Service agreed with the recommendations. In a letter included with the report, Director Sean Curran said the agency had already made changes to communications policies and procedures to reduce the risk of interception and strengthen protective operations.