Dutch Warn of Russian Hackers Targeting Signal, WhatsApp

Dutch intelligence agencies issued a warning on March 9, 2026, about a large-scale global cyber campaign by Russian state-backed hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp accounts of government officials, military personnel, civil servants, and journalists. The operation, which has already compromised accounts of some Dutch government employees, relies on phishing and social engineering tactics to seize control of individual user accounts without breaching the apps' end-to-end encryption.

The General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) described the attacks in a joint alert, noting that hackers contact targets directly through the platforms. Posing as a Signal Support chatbot or similar official entity, the attackers send messages claiming suspicious activity or potential data leaks on the account. They then pressure users to share one-time verification codes received via SMS or personal identification numbers (PINs), allowing the hackers to register the account on their own devices and monitor conversations undetected.

A key method involves exploiting the linked devices feature in both apps, which enables users to...