The federal government remains secretive regarding the Signal hack and the extent to which the Chancellor might be involved. During a press conference with the dts Nachrichtenagentur on Friday, Deputy Government Spokesperson Sebastian Hille stated that they could not disclose details about how the federal government communicates. He emphasized that this general caution applies specifically to communication methods and corresponding telecommunications channels, assuring the public, however, that communication among the federal government, the Chancellor, and the federal ministers occurs through secure channels.
When questioned about the government’s concern regarding the current reports of compromised mobile phones, Hille acknowledged that there are “naturally a whole range of dangers in the digital cyber space” that people must be aware of. He urged everyone to exercise maximum caution in their personal communications and cautioned against clicking links or uploading information to non-secure distribution channels.
Media reports suggest that a wave of phishing attacks, which has been ongoing for months, has already targeted several SPD members of parliament and even Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU). It is alleged that Klöckner was reportedly a member of a Signal group, a group in which the Chancellor was also participating. The potential attackers may therefore have been able to read private chats with the Chancellor or attack him directly.
More recent findings from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) reveal that a “likely state-controlled cyber actor” is conducting these phishing attacks via messaging services, particularly through Signal. The primary targets of these campaigns are reported to be “high-ranking individuals from politics, the military, and diplomacy, as well as investigative journalists in Germany”.