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Russian Hackers Target Signal, WhatsApp Accounts of Officials

3/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Dutch intelligence agencies report a cyber campaign by Russian hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp accounts of government officials, military personnel, and journalists.
Attackers use social engineering, posing as Signal support chatbots to steal security codes.
The campaigns likely allow unauthorized access to sensitive information.
The agencies warn encrypted apps are targets and advise against sharing classified information.
WhatsApp says not to share verification codes and is expanding protections.

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Story summary

The Dutch intelligence agencies report a cyber campaign by Russian hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp accounts of government officials, military personnel, and journalists.
Attackers use social engineering, posing as Signal support chatbots to steal security codes.
The campaigns likely allow unauthorized access to sensitive information.
The agencies warn encrypted apps are targets and advise against sharing classified information.
WhatsApp says not to share verification codes and is expanding protections.