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📂 **Category**: Security,cybersecurity,hackers,hacking,russia,signal,WhatsApp
💡 **What You’ll Learn**:
Russian government hackers are targeting Signal and WhatsApp users, especially government and military officials, as well as journalists around the world, Dutch intelligence said on Monday.
The Dutch Defense Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) and the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) have published details about a “large-scale global” hacking campaign against Signal and WhatsApp users. The two agencies accused “Russian state actors” of using phishing and social engineering techniques – rather than malware – to take over accounts on the two messaging apps.
In the case of Signal, hackers disguise themselves as the app’s support team and send direct messages to targets with warnings of suspicious activity, a “potential data leak,” or attempts to access the target’s private data. If the target falls into their trap, the hackers request a verification code sent via SMS – the hackers themselves request this code from Signal – as well as the targets’ PIN.
Contact us
Do you have more information about this hacking campaign, or other campaigns targeting Signal and WhatsApp? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email.
The hackers then use the verification codes and PIN to register a new device with a new phone number, impersonate the target, and possibly access their contacts, according to the report. In addition, the target is locked out of his account, but can re-register his number.
“Because Signal stores the chat history locally on the phone, the victim can regain access to this history after re-logging. As a result, the victim may assume that nothing is wrong. The Dutch services want to confirm that this assumption may be incorrect,” the report said.
Signal does not offer support directly through the app. It is important to note that, in general, when a user adds a new device to their Signal account, the new device does not have access to previous messages.
Signal did not respond to a request for comment, but posted a thread on social media to share tips for users on how to protect themselves, including advice to never share SMS verification code and PIN.
Hackers are also trying to trick targets in both apps into scanning malicious QR codes or clicking on malicious links. “For example, an actor may send a QR code or link to a victim to add them to a chat group, but that QR code or link actually links the actor’s device to the victim’s account,” the report explained.
In the case of WhatsApp, hackers are misusing the “Linked Devices” function, which allows users to access WhatsApp from a secondary device such as a laptop or tablet. If hackers succeed in fooling their targets, unlike Signal, they will likely be able to read previous messages. Sometimes, the victim may not realize that they have given access to hackers because they are not logged out of their account.
Meta spokesman Zad Al-Sawah said WhatsApp suggests users never share the six-digit code with anyone, and pointed to a help center page to help users identify suspicious messages, and a page about the linked devices feature.
Laurence Boss, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, declined to provide further details about the campaign.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment.
Some of the techniques highlighted by Dutch intelligence services in this report are known to be used by Russian government hackers in the context of the war against Ukraine.
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🕒 **Posted on**: 1773143505
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