Members of the German government are believed to have fallen victim to a spying attack, according to the DPA news agency. The operation was allegedly carried out via the Signal messaging app. Similar attacks have also been detected in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Findings by the magazine Der Spiegel indicate that victims of the hacking campaign on Signal include, among others, Minister for Housing Verena Hubig, Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien, and President of the Bundestag Julia Klöckner. On Saturday, dpa confirmed that members of the federal government had been targeted by a suspected espionage attack, though no names were officially disclosed.
According to media reports, nothing suspicious was found on the phone of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Officially, the German government has not commented on which specific politicians were affected.
The hacking campaign in Germany has targeted politicians, journalists, and military personnel, and authorities suspect that a state actor, most likely Russia, is behind it. Since February, security services have been contacting numerous politicians to warn them or to help determine whether cybercriminals gained access to their accounts.
Current findings suggest that the hacking campaign is ongoing and intensifying, DPA warns. Similar attacks are also being detected in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The hackers’ method on Signal involves sending a message asking the recipient to enter a PIN code, click a link, or scan a QR code. The message appears to come from a sender such as “Signal Support.” This allows attackers to gain access, among other things, to the content of conversations conducted via the messaging app.