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FBI Warns Russian Hackers Hijacked Signal, WhatsApp Accounts in Global Phishing Campaign
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Hackers linked to Russian intelligence services have targeted users of commercial messaging apps, including Signal and WhatsApp, focusing on officials, military personnel, politicians, and journalists, according to Reuters on March 20.
The FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reported in a joint advisory that the campaign compromised thousands of accounts.
The alert identified current and former US government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists as high-value intelligence targets.
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US authorities stressed that the attackers did not break the encryption of the messaging platforms themselves. Instead, they used social engineering tactics, posing as security or support staff and persuading users to hand over verification codes, allowing the attackers to seize control of accounts.
Reuters reported the same assessment and noted that the operation centered on individual accounts rather than the apps’ broader infrastructure.
“The activity targets individuals of high intelligence value, such as current and former US government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists,” the advisory stated.
Signal, responding to earlier warnings about similar activity, noted that the intrusions were carried out through “sophisticated phishing campaigns” and that its encryption and infrastructure were not compromised.
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The US warning also echoed earlier alerts from Dutch intelligence about the same campaign.
Dutch intelligence agencies warned that Russian state hackers likely gained access to sensitive information by compromising the Signal and WhatsApp accounts of government employees, with officials, soldiers, civil servants, and journalists among those targeted.
The campaign reportedly focused on deceiving individual users rather than exploiting weaknesses in the messaging platforms themselves.
According to the services, attackers often posed as Signal support or chatbots to steal login credentials, allowing them to silently seize accounts and monitor group conversations.
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