Pete Hegseth has been accused of leaving himself open to hacking by America’s enemies by using his personal phone number in a top security Signal chat that was easily accessible on numerous internet sites and apps.
The embattled defense secretary’s phone number could be found in such diverse places as WhatsApp, Facebook, Airbnb, a fantasy sports site and reviews left for a plumber and a dentist, according to The New York Times.
It’s reportedly the same number linked to the Signal messaging app used by Hegseth to share details of imminent U.S. strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen to his Cabinet colleagues and, inadvertently, to Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic magazine.
He is also said to have included his wife, his brother, and his attorney in another Signal chat group in which he shared details of the strikes.
The latest twist in the “Signalgate” scandal puts more pressure on Hegseth as he clings onto the top Pentagon job.
Cyber security experts claimed Hegseth is a prime target for hackers. The DoD chief would normally use high security classified communications systems, not their personal phone numbers.
“There’s zero percent chance that someone hasn’t tried to install Pegasus or some other spyware on his phone. He is one of the top five, probably, most targeted people in the world for espionage,” Mike Casey, former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, told the Times.
“You just don’t want the secretary of defense’s phone number to be out there and available to anyone,” added Emily Harding, a security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Times reports that Hegseth’s personal number was easily accessible as recently as March.
He is said to have used the name “PeteHegseth” to sign onto Sleeper.com, a fantasy football and sports betting site, last August, with his wife Jennifer–who was included in one of the chat groups–joining up two weeks later.
He has a Facebook page, a WhatsApp profile and also allegedly used the same phone to register for Microsoft Teams and Airbnb.
His number is also said to be linked to an email address connected to a Google Maps account that includes a number of reviews for local services.
He wrote of a dentist clinic, “The staff is amazing”, and praised a plumber for their, “fast, honest and quality work.”
A mural painter, “painted 2 beautiful flags for us–spot on.”
Glenn S. Gerstell, a former general counsel for the National Security Agency, told the Times: “If you use your phone for just ordinary daily activities, you are leaving a highly, highly visible digital pathway that even a moderately sophisticated person, let alone a nefarious actor, can follow.”
“Phone numbers are like the street address that tell you what house to break into. Once you get the street address, you get to the house, and there might be locks on the doors, and you ask yourself, ‘Do I have the tools to bypass or break the locks?’” another cyber security expert, James A. Lewis, said in the report.
“I guarantee you Russia and China are all over the secretary of defense’s cellphone,” Republican Rep. Don Bacon told CNN.
While Signal’s security is better than most other commercial messaging services, government cell phones are equipped with sophisticated anti-spyware systems.
Security experts say advanced malware is now available to hack personal phones without the user needing to download a link or being aware of the breach.
Hegseth is also reported to have installed Signal on his desk computer at the Pentagon, enabling him to exchange messages in an area where personal mobile phones are barred.
The Pentagon has been contacted for comment.
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