Russian hackers are targeting US officials and other “high intelligence value” individuals on the encrypted messaging app Signal and “thousands” of accounts have already been compromised, FBI Director Kash Patel warned Friday.
“The [FBI] has identified cyber actors associated with Russian Intelligence Services targeting users of commercial messaging applications, including Signal,” Patel wrote on X.
“The campaign targets individuals of high intelligence value, including current and former U.S. government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists,” the FBI director explained. “Globally, this effort has resulted in unauthorized access to thousands of individual accounts.”
The Russian actors are able to view messages and contact lists, send messages as the victim and conduct phishing attacks from the victim’s account after gaining access, Patel warned.
A public service announcement detailing the threat noted that “actors specifically target Signal accounts but can apply similar methods against other” commercial messaging apps.
The Russian hackers have been infiltrating people’s accounts by sending messages “masquerading as automated [commercial messaging app] support accounts” that “deceive targets into taking an action, such as clicking a link or providing verification codes or account PINs.”
A “full account takeover” is possible if users perform the requested actions, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned in the PSA.
The National Security Agency (NSA) previously warned the Department of War about the risks of using Signal, specifically citing the threat of Russian hacking groups that actively attack the app, CBS reported last year. Several top Trump administration officials – including Vice President JD Vance and War Secretary Pete Hegseth – used the app to discuss military strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen last year in group chat that was accidentally shared with a journalist.
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