Russia-backed hackers breach Signal, WhatsApp accounts of officials, journalists, Netherlands warns

The hackers most frequently masquerade as a Signal Support chatbot. Read more at straitstimes.com.

AMSTERDAM – Russian-backed hackers have launched a global cyber campaign to gain access to Signal and WhatsApp accounts used by officials, military personnel and journalists, two intelligence agencies in the Netherlands warned on March 9.

Users are persuaded in chats initiated by the hackers to divulge security verification and pin codes, giving them access to personal accounts and group chats, they said in a statement.

“The Russian hackers have likely gained access to sensitive information,” the General Dutch Intelligence Agency (AIVD) and Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said.

“Targets and victims of the campaign include Dutch government employees” and journalists, the agencies said.

The chat apps offering end-to-end encryption are popular with government officials for sharing confidential or classified information, making them “the ideal place for malicious actors to try to capture sensitive information,” they said.

WhatsApp, in a reaction sent to Reuters, said users should never share their six-digit code with others and that it continued to build ways to protect people from online threats.