Dutch Intelligence Warning: Russian State Actors Targeting Signal and WhatsApp

In March 2026 the Dutch AIVD and MIVD released a joint advisory warning of a large-scale global campaign targeting Signal and WhatsApp accounts of dignitaries, civil servants, and military personnel (and likely journalists) that uses social engineering — not malware or platform compromise — to perform account takeovers by tricking victims into sharing SMS verification codes, Signal PINs, or scanning malicious QR codes to link devices; the advisory describes attack methods, cautions that attackers may exfiltrate data even if victims regain accounts, and recommends controls such as enabling Registration Lock, auditing linked devices, avoiding classified data on these apps, and verifying support contacts.