Germany suspects Russia is behind phishing attacks on Signal that compromised around 300 accounts belonging to politicians, military personnel and journalists. Attackers used a fake Signal security chatbot to trick users into linking their accounts to devices controlled by the hackers, allowing access to past chats and contacts. #Signal #Russia
Keypoints
- German authorities suspect state-linked actors from Russia targeted Signal users in a phishing campaign.
- Approximately 300 Signal accounts within the political sphere were reportedly compromised.
- Attackers impersonated a Signal security chatbot to prompt victims to enter PINs or scan QR codes.
- The method allowed hackers to link accounts to external devices and read past chats, contacts and ongoing messages.
- Federal prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation in February 2026, and German and Dutch agencies issued public warnings.