The FBI issued a public service announcement attributing widespread phishing campaigns that hijack Signal and WhatsApp accounts to Russian intelligence-linked threat actors, reporting thousands of compromised accounts worldwide. Attackers trick victims into sharing verification codes or scanning malicious QR codes to link attacker-controlled devices, allowing them to read messages, impersonate users, and launch follow-on phishing against high-value targets. #Signal #RussianIntelligence
Keypoints
- The FBI publicly attributed the account-hijacking campaigns to Russian intelligence-linked actors.
- Phishing messages commonly impersonate platform support to trick users into granting access.
- Attackers bypass end-to-end encryption by linking accounts to attacker-controlled devices, not by breaking encryption.
- Thousands of Signal and WhatsApp accounts have been compromised, primarily targeting high-value individuals.
- Users should never share verification codes, be wary of unexpected support messages, and avoid scanning unknown QR codes.