America’s National Security Agency warned against mis-use of the Signal app last month – weeks before US President Donald Trump’s top people sparked the notorious ‘chatgate’ attack plans scandal
One of America’s top spy agencies issued an urgent warning to officials about the risks of using the Signal app weeks before the ‘Chatgate’ bust-up over Donald Trump’s aides indiscreetly leaking Houthi attack plans, the Mirror can reveal.
The National Security Agency – the US version of our GCHQ listening station – issued a document on February 25 headlined “Signal Vulnerability.” It underlined the importance of being cautious when using Signal – especially since Russian operatives can penetrate it and spy on conversations. The Mirror can reveal it was issued before US President Donald Trump ’s team, including the CIA head, the military chief and his Vice President sparked ‘Signalgate’ by chatting indiscreetly about an attack on Yemeni Houthis on Signal.
One western intelligence source told the Mirror last night: “This is basic, schooldays stuff that all intelligence or military people should know. “But it’s almost as if whoever wrote the warning in the NSA predicted Trump’s people would make such a basic, dumb mistake that has made a mockery of US intelligence and security.”
The blundering officials have caused a huge scandal after it emerged that staggeringly they included a US journalist in the conversation. It has left the American intelligence community reeling and a warning the officials could face legal action for breaching security rules.
The scandal has worsened since it emerged the NSA warned officially in its document, which the Mirror has obtained: “A vulnerability has been identified in the Signal Messenger Application.” It then goes on to describe how anyone who is a target of foreign intelligence could be vulnerable if they used Signal.
This would apply to all of the top officials involved in the Signal scandal, exposed further by Atlantic Magazine which has today published the full details. The NSA warning, issued on February 25, says: “The use of Signal by common targets of surveillance and espionage activity has made the application a high value target to intercept sensitive information.
“Russian professional hacking groups are employing the ‘linked devices’ feature to spy on encrypted conversations.” t then goes on to describe in technical terms exactly how Russian operatives are able to bypass encryption and view entire conversations in real time. The memo also adds that although employees of the Department of Defence or NSA can use Signal, it must not be used to discuss anything sensitive.
It says: “Third party messaging apps are permitted by policy for unclassified accountability .. but ARE NOT approved to process or store non-public unclassified information.” It goes on to warn officials and employees against sending “anything compromising over any social media or internet-based tool application.” And, just weeks before the US’s top intelligence, defence and government officials bar Trump accidentally leaked a Signal conversation to a journalist, it even warns employees:
“Don’t establish connections with people you do not know. Understand that people are not always who they say they are online.”
