"Russian state actors are using phishing and social engineering techniques - rather than malware - to take over accounts on the two messaging apps. In the case of Signal, the hackers are masquerading as the app's support team and messaging targets directly with warnings of suspicious activity, 'a possible data leak,' or of attempts to access the target's private data."
"The hackers then use the verification and PIN codes to register a new device with a new phone number, impersonate the target, and potentially access their contacts. Also, the target gets locked out of their account, but can re-register their number."
"Because Signal stores the chat history locally on the phone, a victim can regain access to that history after re‑registering. As a result, the victim may assume that nothing is wrong. The Dutch services want to stress that this assumption could be incorrect."
Dutch intelligence agencies MIVD and AIVD revealed a widespread global hacking campaign by Russian state actors targeting Signal and WhatsApp users. The attackers employ phishing and social engineering techniques to compromise accounts. For Signal, hackers impersonate the app's support team, sending warnings about suspicious activity or data leaks to trick users into providing verification codes and PIN codes. Using these credentials, attackers register new devices with different phone numbers and impersonate victims, gaining access to contacts and potentially sensitive information. Victims may not realize their accounts are compromised because Signal stores chat history locally, allowing them to regain access after re-registering their numbers.
#russian-cyber-attacks #signal-and-whatsapp-security #phishing-campaigns #social-engineering #government-and-military-targeting
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