TeleMessage, an encrypted messaging app based upon Signal, has been temporarily suspended out of “an abundance of caution” after a hacker reportedly gained access to US government communications. Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
Category: signal
Commentary, encryption, Exploits, Global Security News, op-ed, signal
After Signal controversy, do private conversations online exist anymore?
Every day, we place our trust in technology. Whether in the boardroom or the living room, technology has become the linchpin of security that protects our most sensitive and private information. And more so than any time in our history, that goes for our conversations, too. Intimate discussions with our spouse or romantic partner. Collaboration…
Exploits, Global Security News, Mike Waltz, Security, signal, TeleMessage
TeleMessage, a modified Signal clone used by US government officials, has been hacked
A hacker has exploited a vulnerability in TeleMessage, which provides modded versions of encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, to extract archived messages and other data relating to U.S. government officials and companies who used the tool, 404 Media reported. TeleMessage came into the spotlight last week after it was reported that…
Exploits, Global Security News, Mike Waltz, Security, signal, TeleMessage
TeleMessage, a modified Signal clone used by US govt. officials, has been hacked
A hacker has exploited a vulnerability in TeleMessage, which provides modded versions of encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp, to extract archived messages and other data relating to U.S. government officials and companies who used the tool, 404 Media reported. TeleMessage came into the spotlight last week after it was reported that…
Global Security News, Government & Policy, Security, signal
Government officials are kind of bad at the internet
Perhaps no one in the world has made such catastrophic tech flubs this year as U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The saga started when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, reported that he had been mistakenly added to an unauthorized Signal group chat by U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, where numerous high-ranking…
encryption, Global Security News, iOS, military, phishing, Podcast, privacy, QR code, signal, Smashing Security, White House
Smashing Security podcast #412: Signalgate sucks, and the quandary of quishing
QR codes are being weaponised by scammers — so maybe think twice before scanning that parking meter. And in a blunder so dumb it makes autocorrect look smart, the White House explains how it leaked war plans on Signal because an iPhone mistook a journalist for a government insider. Plus! Don’t miss our featured interview…
23andMe, Bankruptcy, cyber security, cyber threat, Cybersecurity, data deletion, Data Privacy, data retention, Data Security, Digital Privacy, DNA, DNA Privacy, Episodes, genetic testing, Global Security News, Government Accountability, Information Security, infosec, Legal Challenges, Military Protocol, personal data, Podcast, Podcasts, privacy, Security, Security Bloggers Network, signal, Signal Gate, Technology, Weekly Edition
The 23andMe Collapse, Signal Gate Fallout
In this episode, we discuss the urgent need to delete your DNA data from 23andMe amid concerns about the company’s potential collapse and lack of federal protections for your personal information. Kevin joins the show to give his thoughts on the Signal Gate scandal involving top government officials, emphasizing the potential risks and lack of…
Global Security News, Government & Policy, Jeffrey Goldberg, Mike Waltz, Security, signal
White House reportedly blames auto-suggested iPhone contact for Signal scandal
How did Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg get added to a Signal group chat with Trump administration officials discussing their plans for an airstrike in Yemen? The simplest explanation: National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had Goldberg saved as a contact in his phone and accidentally added him. Indeed, when Waltz first claimed that Goldberg’s phone number…
Apps, Global Security News, Government & Policy, signal
Signal sees its downloads double after scandal
Encrypted messaging app Signal continues to see spiking downloads in the wake of the messaging scandal, which saw The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg added to a group chat where high-ranking officials in the Trump administration were discussing an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The resulting press coverage around the leak of these…
Apps, Exclusive, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Security, signal, Social
Signal downloads spike in the US and Yemen amid government scandal
The encrypted messaging app Signal is getting some unexpected attention this week. High-ranking officials in the Trump administration, including Vice President J. D. Vance and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, communicated the plans for an attack on the Yemeni Houthis via a potentially unauthorized group chat on Signal. However, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly…
CIA, Department of Defense (DOD), Global Security News, ODNI, signal, Uncategorized
Intelligence chiefs insist Signal chat was a simple mistake
U.S. intelligence leaders found themselves under intensified scrutiny from Congress for a second straight day, following revelations that significant military plans were discussed over text messaging application Signal. Both Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe apologized during a House Intelligence Committee hearing Wednesday, yet continued to claim that no sources,…
classified, Global Security News, President, Security, Security Bloggers Network, signal, Top Secret, Trump
War Plan Chat Includes Journalist
Journalists aren’t usually invited to online chats about US war plans. This seemed obvious until yesterday, when Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg published his article about being a lurker in an online chat with US Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury, plus the VP and the Director of National Intelligence. The plans led to a US…
evergreens, Facebook, Global Security News, Instagram, Meta, Outlook, Security, signal, Twitter, WhatsApp
How to tell if your online accounts have been hacked
This is a guide on how to check whether someone compromised your online accounts.
CIA, Department of Defense, Department of Defense (DOD), Director of National Intelligence, Global Security News, Government, JD Vance, John Ratcliffe, Jon Ossoff, Mark Kelly, Michael Bennet, Mike Rounds, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Pete Hegseth, Policy, privacy, Senate Intelligence Committee, signal, Todd Young, Trump Administration, tulsi gabbard, Yemen
Senators criticize Trump officials’ discussion of war plans over Signal, but administration answers don’t come easily
Democratic senators hammered two top national security officials Tuesday about their participation in a Signal chat discussing war plans that reportedly included a journalist, but struggled to get specific answers to some of their questions about what happened and how. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wouldn’t even initially acknowledge her involvement in the chat group,…
Global Security News, North America, Security, signal, TC
The Trump administration planned Yemen strikes in an unauthorized Signal chat
The Trump administration’s national security leaders accidentally included the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, in a chat on Signal discussing confidential plans to attack Yemen’s Houthis. “I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans,” Goldberg wrote of the March 15 messages, which…
AI, AI agents, Global IT News, Global Security News, Meredith Whittaker, signal, SXSW
Signal President Meredith Whittaker calls out agentic AI as having ‘profound’ security and privacy issues
Signal President Meredith Whittaker warned Friday that agentic AI could come with a risk to user privacy. Speaking on stage at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, the advocate for secure communications, referred to the use of AI agents as “putting your brain in a jar,” and cautioned that this new paradigm of computing —…
Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, Netherlands, privacy, signal, Social
Signal is the number-one downloaded app in the Netherlands. But why?
Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has been flying high in the Dutch app stores this past month, sitting many days as the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android for all categories, per data from multiple app-tracking platforms such as Sensor Tower. The app has experienced surges in popularity through the years, often in response…
Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Global Security News, Google Threat Intelligence Group, GRU, messaging apps, phishing, Research, Russia, Sandworm, signal, Threats, Uncategorized
Russia-aligned threat groups dupe Ukrainian targets via Signal
Russian state threat groups have compromised Signal accounts used by Ukrainian military and government personnel to eavesdrop on real-time communications, Google Threat Intelligence Group said in a report released Wednesday. “This is a persistent, ongoing campaign being carried out by multiple different Russia-aligned threat actors,” Dan Black, principal analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, said…
doge, Elon Musk, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government & Policy, privacy, signal, Social, X
X is blocking links to Signal, a secure messaging platform used by federal workers
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is blocking links to Signal.me, a URL shortener used by the private messaging app Signal that allows users to send out a link that’s used to contact them directly through the service. The blocks, which impact direct messages, public posts, and profile pages, were first spotted by the blog Disruptionist. …
Apple, Cloud, Cloud Security, cloud storage, Cybersecurity, encryption, Global Security News, iCloud, International, Security, signal, storage, surveillance, United Kingdom
UK Government Reportedly Demands Access to Encrypted iCloud Files Worldwide
As reported by The Washington Post, Apple received notice of a possible request in March 2024, but the official ask occurred in January 2025.
Asia Pacific, Cybersecurity, encryption, Global Security News, lockdown mode, Salt Typhoon, Security, signal
US government urges high-ranking officials to lock down mobile devices following telecom breaches
The move to urge Americans to use end-to-end encrypted apps comes as China-backed gangs are hacking into phone and internet giants. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Android, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), encrpytion, FIDO, Global Security News, Government, iPhone, Mobile Security, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Salt Typhoon, signal, SIM Swapping, smartphone, Threats, Yubico
CISA pushes guide for high-value targets to secure mobile devices
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency unveiled a detailed set of guidelines Wednesday to safeguard the mobile communications of high-value government targets in the wake of the ongoing Salt Typhoon telecom breach. The guide aims to help both political and federal leadership harden their communications and avoid any data interception by the Chinese-linked espionage group.…