A significant cyberattack breached TeleMessage, a communications app (a Signal fork) used by numerous US government officials, including White House staff, Secret Service, and diplomatic personnel. Reuters’ review of leaked data confirmed widespread exposure, raising serious data security questions. While sensitive content wasn’t found, experts warn the metadata stolen poses a “top-tier intelligence access” risk, underscoring critical security vulnerabilities.
A significant cybersecurity incident has come to light, revealing that a hacker managed to breach TeleMessage, a Signal fork that is widely used by US government officials (including Trump) for communications. This isn’t just a minor breach; it’s a much broader commitment than initially understood, raising serious questions about data security within American government operations.
TeleMessage, an app that gained some public attention recently after a photograph showed a former Trump national security adviser, Mike Waltz, using it. A recent review by Reuters of leaked data confirms that the breach affected a wide range of US government users.
Hacker breaches TeleMessage, a Signal fork used by Trump and other US officials
More than 60 unique government users of TeleMessage have been identified in the leaked data. This includes a diverse group: disaster responders, customs officials, US diplomatic staff, at least one White House staffer, and even members of the Secret Service. The intercepted messages cover roughly a day’s worth of communication leading up to May 4th.
Reuters couldn’t confirm every piece of data. However, they were able to verify the authenticity of several messages and phone numbers. For instance, an applicant for aid from FEMA confirmed a leaked message was real, and a financial services firm also validated its intercepted communications.
Reuters’ report didn’t uncover overtly sensitive information or chats from high-ranking cabinet officials like Waltz. But some messages did hint at official travel plans. For example, one chat group name, “POTUS | ROME-VATICAN | PRESS GC,” seemed to relate to logistics for a Vatican event. Another chat group discussed a US officials’ trip to Jordan.
TeleMessage, which provides special versions of popular apps to help government agencies archive messages according to regulations, has been offline since May 5th as a precaution. Smarsh, the company that owns TeleMessage, has not yet commented on the leaked data.
Various government agencies, including the White House, State Department, Secret Service, FEMA, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have acknowledged awareness of the breach and are reviewing the situation. The US cyber defense agency CISA has even recommended that users discontinue using the product until further guidance.
Possible metadata theft raises concerns
Cybersecurity experts are particularly concerned about the metadata. This is basically the information about who communicated with whom and when. As Jake Williams, a former National Security Agency cyber specialist, put it, “Even if you don’t have the content, that is a top-tier intelligence access.” This kind of information can be incredibly valuable for intelligence gathering, even without the message content itself.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the constant cyber threats faced by government agencies and the critical importance of robust communication security.
