The magnitude of the cyber attack on the Signal application raises major questions about the security of communications within the German Parliament, a parliamentary official from Berlin told AFP on Friday. The statements are made after a large-scale cyber attack also affected the diplomatic, military, and press environments.
The German federal prosecutor’s office has announced that it is conducting an investigation and suspicions of espionage. Russia is suspect number 1, while Berlin is one of the main providers of military aid to Kiev.
“The scale of the recent cyber attack on the Signal app, as far as is known at this stage, is extremely worrying. At present, no one can say with certainty that the integrity of the deputies’ communications is still guaranteed. It is imperative to quickly ascertain who was affected, especially the data that was effectively compromised”, declared Konstantin von Notz, a parliamentarian from the Greens in the Bundestag (lower house) and an expert in national security issues, reports Agerpres.
The breach of Signal messaging was done through phishing. The attackers posed as a trustworthy organization or person in order to obtain or to persuade the recipient to disclose personal information, click on a corrupt link, or reveal their password.
Journalists, diplomats, and military personnel from Germany have been targeted by this attack, however, the conservative government of Friedrich Merz has so far refused to provide information regarding the extent of the problem.
The scandal escalated starting from Wednesday, when the weekly Der Spiegel, citing anonymous sources, revealed that the President of the Bundestag, Julia Klockner, had fallen victim to hackers.
The spokespersons of the German Chancellery have announced to the press that the communication lines of the Government, ministers, and the chancellor are secured.