FBI Warns Russian Hackers Target Signal, WhatsApp in Mass Phishing Attacks

U.S. and allied cybersecurity agencies warn of an active nation-state aligned phishing campaign that targets high-value individuals (government officials, military, journalists, political figures) to take over WhatsApp and Signal accounts. Attackers use social-engineering (posing as support, requesting verification PINs or sending QR codes) to either recover or link devices to victims' accounts, enabling message access, impersonation, and follow-on phishing; agencies recommend never sharing verification codes, scrutinizing unexpected messages/links, and regularly reviewing linked devices.