Signal is being targeted by Russian hackers in a huge new phishing campaign, FBI says

Date:
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
The campaign is allegedly already a success, as Russians access people's devices.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news
and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter FBI and CISA warn of Russian espionage campaign targeting messaging apps Phishing and social engineering used to hijack Signal and other CMA accounts Thousands of victims accounts compromised, including officials, military, and journalists The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning about an ongoing espionage campaign by Russian cyberspies.

In a joint Public Service Announcement (PSA) published late last week, the
two agencies said Russian Intelligence Services (RIS)-affiliated threat
actors are actively targeting commercial messaging applications (CMA). They specifically mentioned Signal, but stressed that other CMAs are most likely targeted, as well. The victims are mostly current and former US government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists. Article continues below You may like Russian cybercriminals are targeting WhatsApp, Signal accounts in 'large-scale global' hacking campaign North Korean hackers using malicious QR codes in spear phishing, FBI warns Yet another phishing campaign impersonates trusted Google services - here's what we know Following the Dutch The campaign does not revolve around breaking the apps by abusing vulnerabilities, or similar. Instead, it revolves around phishing and social engineering, where the victims end up sharing access willingly.

RIS cyber actors send phishing messages masquerading as automated CMA support accounts, the PSA reads. The actors tailor the messages to deceive targets into taking an action, such as clicking a link or providing verification
codes or account PINs. If the user performs any of the requested actions,
they unwittingly provide the actors with unauthorized access to their account either by adding the attacker's device as a linked device or through a full account takeover.

Roughly two weeks ago, Dutch authorities published a similar warning , saying that Russian spies were targeting not only Signal, but WhatsApp , as well.
The General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), the Netherlands primary civilian intelligence and security agency, said at the time that the campaign was large-scale, and global. Targets were dignitaries, military personnel,
and civil servants, including Dutch government employees.

AIVD believes the campaign is already a success: The Russian hackers likely gained access to sensitive information through this campaign, it said, although it did not detail if they accessed it from Dutch targets or someone else entirely. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &
Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

On X, FBI Director Kash Patel echoed these warnings, saying the effort resulted in unauthorized access to thousands of individual accounts.

After gaining access, the actors can view messages and contact lists, send messages as the victim, and conduct additional phishing from a trusted identity, he warned.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/signal-is-being-targeted-by-russian-hac kers-in-a-huge-new-phishing-campaign-fbi-says


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