LISBON, March 11 (Reuters) - Foreign state-backed hackers have launched a global cyber campaign to access the WhatsApp and Signal accounts of government officials, diplomats and military personnel,
Portugal Alerts: State-Backed Hackers Target Messaging Accounts of Officials, Military
Global Cyber Campaign Targets Secure Messaging Platforms
Overview of the Threat
LISBON, March 11 (Reuters) - Foreign state-backed hackers have launched a global cyber campaign to access the WhatsApp and Signal accounts of government officials, diplomats and military personnel, the national intelligence service (SIS) warned on Wednesday.
Hackers' Methods and Objectives
In a rare statement, the SIS said the hackers seek to trick users of these platforms "into sharing sensitive data, such as passwords", in order to gain access to individual and group chats and shared files.
Targeted Individuals and Groups
"The targets are government officials, diplomats, military personnel, and civil society members with access to privileged information from Portugal and allied countries," SIS said.
Attribution and Security Implications
Unknown Foreign State Involvement
SIS did not identify the foreign state behind the hackers, who are "exploiting potential careless use by individuals relying on the end-to-end encryption of the two applications," widely used by officials, military personnel, and executives.
Security of Messaging Platforms
It said the attacks "do not mean that WhatsApp or Signal have been compromised," but did not rule out the possibility.
Related International Incidents
Two intelligence agencies in the Netherlands said on Monday that Russian-backed hackers had also launched a global cyber campaign to gain access to both platforms.
Public Response and Preparedness
SIS said it issued the alert also to help the public prepare for cyberattacks.
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
