A security violation in an unofficial version of the encrypted messaging application Signal has raised concerns about the vulnerability of communications in the highest levels of the US government, according to a Tech Site 404 Media report.
The application, Telemessage, which imitates the signal functionality, would have been used by the former national security advisor Mike Waltz, as indicated by a photograph of Reuters showing it using the application during a firm meeting. The vulnerability operated by the pirate highlights the potential safety risks associated with the use of unofficial communication platforms for sensitive government discussions.
Waltz was ousted Thursday, several weeks after the eruption of a scandal on its creation of a group of signals to share real -time updates on American military action in Yemen. The cat drew special attention because Waltz, or someone using his account, accidentally added a leading journalist to the group.
The revelation that Waltz used Telemessage, which seems to have an interface and a functionality similar to that of the signal, has only increased concerns about the security of its communications.
404 Media quoted The Hacker – which did not identify – saying that they had entered the Backend Telemessage infrastructure and had been able to intercept some of the messages from its users. 404 Media said that the pirate had provided them with equipment, some of which have been able to check independently.
Mike Waltz, US National Security Advisor, during a lunch with US President Donald Trump and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (EPA)
The publication said that the pirate did not intercep the messages from Waltz or other officials of Trump's office.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. Messages requesting comments from Telemessage and its business owner, Portland, based in Oregon, were not immediately returned. Messages looking for comments from Waltz and White House Were not immediately returned immediately.
The signal is a encryption platform encrypted from start to finish whose technology is supposed to frustrate hostile surveillance.
The product of Smarsh's product, which the company is rebound as mobile capture, is designed to capture messages once they have been deciphered so that they can be kept and stored. This type of additional functionality can be useful to comply with government rules on the retention of documents, but if it is poorly implemented, it can introduce security risks.
A signal spokesperson told Reuters earlier this week that the company “could not guarantee the properties of confidentiality or security of unofficial signal versions”.
