The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has issued an urgent warning to politicians and parties regarding potential data leaks resulting from an ongoing phishing campaign targeting users of the messaging service Signal. According to a warning letter sent Tuesday, which the Cologne intelligence agency reported to the newspaper “Spiegel”, it is assumed that “numerous Signal groups within the parliamentary sphere are currently being read by the attackers almost unnoticed”. The letter also stated that “the BfV is already aware of numerous high-ranking vulnerabilities”. Given the nature of these attacks, however, the actual extent of the problem is expected to be even greater.
The BfV and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) first warned about this danger back in February. The threat involved a purported “Signal Support” messaging service contacting users and prompting them to enter personal data. The newspaper “Spiegel” had previously reported that one of the individuals who fell for this ploy was former BND deputy president Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven.
Despite these repeated warnings, domestic intelligence sources suggest that potential victims are not taking the danger seriously enough. The note, signed by BfV President Sinan Selen, advised the political establishment to “re-examine the security measures implemented for your party and your mandates in cooperation with your IT specialists”. The BSI has already published a detailed guide with recommended actions for potentially affected individuals on its website.
Furthermore, “Spiegel” reported that in recent weeks, numerous potential victims, including journalists in addition to politicians, have reported incidents to the authorities. Several foreign intelligence agencies, including those from the United States and the Netherlands, are blaming Russia for this current wave of attacks.