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Dutch intelligence agencies have raised the alarm over a large-scale global hacking campaign by Russian state-linked actors targeting users of encrypted messaging platforms Signal and WhatsApp.
In a report released on Monday, the Netherlands’ Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) and the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) said the campaign is primarily aimed at government officials, military personnel, journalists and other high-value targets around the world.
According to the agencies, the hackers are not relying on advanced malware but are instead using phishing and social engineering techniques to gain control of victims’ accounts.
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The report detailed how attackers exploit Signal users by pretending to be members of the app’s support team. Targets receive messages warning of issues such as suspicious activity on their accounts, possible data leaks or attempts to access private information.
“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,” the report reads.
Victims are then urged to verify their identity by providing a verification code sent via SMS, which the attackers themselves request from Signal. In some cases, victims are also asked for their Signal PIN code.
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