FBI warns Russian hackers targeting Americans on Signal; thousands of accounts compromised

By Fox News · Fox News

Russian intelligence-linked hackers are targeting users of popular messaging apps like Signal, gaining access to private messages and impersonating victims in a sweeping global campaign, according to a joint warning from the FBI and U.S. cybersecurity officials. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the operation has already compromised "thousands of individual" commercial messaging app (CMA) accounts, allowing attackers to read messages, access contact lists and send messages posing as the victim. FBI Director Kash Patel warned the campaign is targeting individuals of "high intelligence value," including U.S. officials, military personnel and journalists, and has already resulted in widespread account compromises. Patel warned the attackers could exploit compromised accounts to impersonate victims and target others using a trusted identity. MILLIONS OF AI CHAT MESSAGES EXPOSED IN APP DATA LEAK "This global campaign has resulted in unauthorized access to thousands of individual CMA accounts," the agencies said in a joint public service announcement. " After compromising an account , malicious actors can view the victims’ messages and contact lists, send messages, and conduct additional phishing against other CMA accounts." Officials said the activity is linked to actors associated with Russian intelligence services. MALICIOUS BROWSER EXTENSIONS HIT 4.3M USERS "RIS actors have compromised individual CMA accounts, but not CMAs’ encryption or the applications themselves," the FBI and CISA said. The agencies emphasized the activity does not involve breaking Signal’s encryption. Instead, it relies on tricking users through phishing schemes. "Phishing remains one of the most unsophisticated, yet effective means of cyber compromise, often rendering other protections irrelevant, including end-to-end encryption," the agencies said. SPOTIFY VOTING SCAM EXPOSED According to officials, the hackers often pose as messaging app support or send fake…