Hackers Use Signal QR Codes to Spy on Military and Political Leaders

German security agencies warn that state-backed hackers are conducting targeted social‑engineering campaigns against high‑profile Signal users. Attackers impersonate Signal support to phish registration PINs or trick victims into scanning QR codes that link an attacker’s device to the account, enabling account takeover or passive reading of up to 45 days of messages; authorities advise checking linked devices, enabling a registration lock, and ignoring direct support messages.