More than 500 members of the British Armed Forces have inadvertently revealed their movements and personal details at some of the UK’s most sensitive military sites by publicly sharing workouts on the fitness app Strava.

Data logged since January shows personnel running inside restricted areas at bases tied to nuclear weapons, intelligence operations and overseas combat missions. Security officials warn the information offers hostile states a ready-made trail of personal and operational clues.

Inside the UK’s Most Sensitive Sites

Among those identified were staff working at Britain’s military command centre in Northwood Headquarters. Others tracked workouts within the perimeter of HMNB Clyde — home to the UK’s nuclear deterrent — and at the joint UK-US surveillance facility RAF Menwith Hill.

In several cases, users named their running routes inside bases. One path at a joint UK-US site appeared on the app under the title “Security Breach”.

A senior military source warned the data amounted to “damn good intelligence for the enemy”.

From Jogging Routes to Personal Identities

The publicly available data goes far beyond simple exercise logs. Investigators were able to identify submariners stationed at Faslane and trace their activity back to family members and home addresses via linked social media accounts.

At least 110 individuals logged runs inside Faslane this year alone. One route within a restricted zone revealed clues about which nuclear submarine a service member was deployed to.

Another user posted images of warships entering port, including a US destroyer.

Overseas Bases Also Exposed

The problem stretches beyond Britain. Personnel at RAF Akrotiri — heavily involved in US strikes against Iran — recorded hundreds of runs within the base’s secure perimeter.

Activity was also logged at Diego Garcia Military Base, a strategic launchpad for Middle East operations that was targeted by suspected Iranian missiles last month.

Routes there carried names such as “Section 9 – Security Breach” and “The Stupid Shall Be Punished”.

A Known Risk — Still Unchecked

Security officials have warned about fitness apps for years. The Ministry of Defence first flagged the danger in 2018 when soldiers’ exercise data exposed the location of a secret base in Afghanistan.

Yet intelligence specialists say the issue persists. “It’s frankly ridiculous,” one UK intelligence official said. “This is how easy it is to compromise your identity as a serviceperson.”

Experts say the information may not be the “crown jewels” of intelligence — but it helps adversaries build detailed profiles for surveillance, coercion or recruitment.

The Ministry of Defence said it takes the security of personnel seriously and keeps guidance under constant review.

Hundreds of UK soldiers exposed at military bases by their Strava workouts

Strava also caused problems for US special forces in Syria, revealing the locations of secret bases in Syria. At least the location of Faslane is not a secret.

Chinese made cars are banned from parking at MOD establishments, because of the bloatware apps they come installed with that can be used for tracking movements.

I expect any car with Apple Carplay and Android Auto can be used to track your movements. They don't like the Chinese cars, because they can't access those apps.

https://cybernews.com/news/uk-chinese-cars-spying/#:~:text=The%20MoD%20is%20believed%20to%20have%20already,sensitive%20military%20bases%20due%20to%20espionage%20concerns.

https://www.forcesnews.com/news/warning-mod-staff-amid-fears-china-could-be-using-electric-vehicles-spy-military

My own employer says I cannot expect privacy when accessing company services. So anywhere I access email, teams, I can expect my employer to access other data on that device, eg my phone. But not this device.

I use Strava most days, I’ll be using it again today.

The app has a security function that allows users to hide activities within a radius of their own choosing.

I’ve set mine at 2kms but it could be any distance users choose.