HNLMS Evertsen, a Dutch air-defense frigate part of the NATO carrier strike group centered on the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, has inadvertently revealed its position after receiving a postcard containing a hidden Bluetooth tracker. According to The Register, the Dutch Ministry of Defense posted instructions online to make it easier for family and friends to communicate with personnel aboard a navy ship, but didn’t fully consider the ramifications for operational security (op-sec).
Bluetooth trackers like the Apple AirTag cost $29 a piece, but there are cheaper, generic versions available on Amazon that cost $10 for two trackers. By allowing a potential adversary to track the ship in real-time, it could put the vessel and the entire strike group at risk, as that information can be used for other operations against the fleet. The fact that it was mailed in meant that spies do not even need to go near the ship to place a tracker on the $585 million Navy ship.
