The Dutch military intelligence service and domestic intelligence agency have jointly issued a warning indicating that Russian cyber actors are conducting an extensive global operation aimed at infiltrating Signal and WhatsApp accounts used by high-profile individuals, including military personnel and government officials. As outlined in the alert, attackers are employing deceptive tactics by mimicking official support chatbots to coerce targets into disclosing their PINs, thereby enabling unauthorized access to encrypted messages.
In the previous year, the U.S. Department of Defense recommended against using Signal following a series of phishing attacks attributed to Russian hackers. Notably, this came just days after senior U.S. military figures inadvertently exposed classified war plans through a security lapse, highlighting the vulnerability of even well-protected communication channels.
The latest statement from a national intelligence body underscores the ongoing threat posed by sophisticated phishing techniques targeting secure messaging platforms. This incident serves as a critical reminder for all users—especially those handling sensitive information—to exercise caution before sharing authentication details or engaging with unsolicited links.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/dutch-intelligence-services-warn-of-russian-hackers-targeting-signal-and-whatsapp-203707202.html?src=rss