In the wake of a major security incident involving top Trump administration officials, the Pentagon issued an urgent advisory warning staff about potential vulnerabilities in the Signal messaging app.
The March 18 memo, obtained by NPR, cautioned that Russian hacking groups were exploiting Signal's "linked devices" feature to infiltrate encrypted conversations through phishing attacks. The warning came just days after senior officials accidentally added a journalist to a sensitive Signal group chat discussing military strikes in Yemen.
The high-profile leak occurred when The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently included in conversations between top officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The chat contained details about planned airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas.
The Pentagon's bulletin emphasized that while third-party messaging apps like Signal are permitted for unclassified information, they cannot be used for "non-public" unclassified data. Signal maintains its security hasn't been compromised, with spokesperson Jun Harada stating they've already addressed potential vulnerabilities with additional safeguards.
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton criticized the officials' judgment, telling NPR: "These are things that are absolutely basic. Yet these are cabinet-level people in our government, and yet not one of them ever said, 'Why are we on Signal?'"
While Trump dismissed the incident as a "glitch" and claimed the military frequently uses Signal, Democratic senators have pressed intelligence officials for answers during a Senate committee hearing. The controversy has sparked debate about proper handling of sensitive information and communication protocols within the administration.
The Iran-backed Houthis reported at least 31 casualties from the subsequent military strikes, which were carried out in response to their targeting of vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023.