The German government suspects that Russia is behind the phishing campaign targeting the messaging service Signal. Several high-profile figures were compromised, including Federal Ministers Verena Hubertz (SPD) and Karin Prien (CDU), as well as Bundestag President Julia Klöckner.
Government sources confirmed to the “Spiegel” that the attack is allegedly linked to Russia. This suspicion follows earlier warnings from Dutch intelligence services, which also attributed responsibility to “Russian state actors”. Furthermore, the FBI had previously warned in March about “actors associated with Russian intelligence services” who were attempting to infiltrate the accounts of commercial messaging platforms.
Government circles reported that all affected individuals whose accounts had been compromised have since been informed by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Staff were instructed to check their devices and halt any potential data leaks.
According to the federal government, the attack was aimed at a broad cross-section of political personnel. The messages deployed by the attackers were directed not only at government and parliamentary entities but also at political think tanks, journalists, intelligence service employees, and military personnel.
It remains unclear whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz could have been affected. Deputy government spokesperson Sebastian Hille told the dts news agency that it was impossible to comment on “the manner in which the federal government communicates”. He added, however, that while communication methods and associated telecommunications routes could not be speculated upon, people should be assured that the communication of the federal government, the chancellor, and the federal ministers runs on secure channels.