- TeleMessage, the company behind the modified Signal client used by Trump admin officials, has been breached. Attacker claims the hack took "15-20 minutes" with minimal effort.
- TeleMessage creates modified versions of Signal/WhatsApp/Telegram that archive messages for gov agencies. Recently made headlines when National Security Advisor Waltz was photographed using it.
- A hacker accessed unencrypted message contents, contact info of gov officials, admin credentials, and customer data. Notably includes CBP, Coinbase, and other financial institutions.
- This confirms security researchers' warnings: Adding message archiving to E2EE apps fundamentally breaks their security model by creating a vulnerable "man-in-the-middle" point.
- One screenshot showed 747 CBP officials in the system. Data includes fragments of live communications, including sensitive discussions about pending crypto legislation.
- Incident validates Signal's previous statement that they "cannot guarantee security properties of unofficial versions." TeleMessage's claims about maintaining Signal's security were demonstrably false.
- Worth noting: While cabinet members' messages weren't accessed, the trivial nature of the breach suggests more data could have been exposed if attacker chose to dig deeper.
- TeleMessage has wiped their website. (All links on the page are dead ends) Multiple gov agencies including State Dept and CDC have active contracts with the company.May 5, 2025 18:21
- There is no such thing as a backdoor only for the "good guys" You can't have it both ways - either messages are truly E2EE or they're not. Thanks 404media for this awesome reporting as usual: www.404media.co/the-...
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