Surfshark warns personal devices are a 'wide-open door' as UK Prime Minister falls for impersonation scam

UK Prime Minister was targeted by a scammer posing as a top US aide Personal devices bypass "national security perimeters," warns Surfshark GenAI tools allow low-level criminals to clone high-profile identities The recent revelation that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham was targeted by an impersonator pretending to be top Donald Trump aide Susie Wiles has sent shockwaves through the cybersecurity community.

While the immediate political fallout dominates headlines, security experts are sounding the alarm over a far more terrifying technical reality — elite government defenses are essentially useless if the human holding the device can be tricked.

For everyday users, the incident serves as a stark reminder that even the most powerful figures are vulnerable to the same social engineering tactics deployed against the general public.

Securing your digital life with the best VPN and robust security software is crucial, but as AI impersonation scams are skyrocketing , the ultimate vulnerability remains the personal smartphone itself.

Miguel Fornes, Information Security Manager at Surfshark , argues that personal devices have become a permanent, wide-open door into the world's most protected rooms.

Speaking on why Burnham was such an easy target for this impersonation scam, Fornes painted a grim picture of modern cybersecurity perimeters.

“It proves that billion-dollar national security perimeters are completely useless when every high-value target carries an unmonitored attack vector in their pocket 24 hours a day,” Fornes told TechRadar.

Surfshark – the best cheap VPN Surfshark is a fast, easy-to-use VPN that seriously beats the competition when it comes to subscription pricing.

Its two-year Starter plan works out at $2.49 a month (plus tax), but we think Surfshark One is the best value plan as it adds an antivirus, data breach monitor, alternative ID, and anti-scam tools.

All of this starting from the equivalent of just $2.79 a month.

View Deal Hacking the human, not the firewall The Burnham incident highlights a fundamental shift in how cybercriminals operate.

Rather than attempting to break through the front door of government agencies, bad actors are simply slipping through the side window of personal communication apps.

"The attackers behind high-profile spoofing campaigns, like the recent impersonation of top Trump aide Susie Wiles to contact high-level officials like Andy Burnham, didn't waste time attempting to breach the world-class cryptographic shields of GCHQ or MI5," Fornes explained.

"They simply exploited the chaotic, unmonitored environment of personal smartphones and private messaging apps." The shift in threat models is precisely why cybersecurity providers are pivoting.