All articles tagged with #signal
U.S. prosecutors used transcripts from more than 100 Signal messages to indict 15 anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis, suggesting authorities may have accessed the defendants’ devices; the piece notes that end-to-end encryption isn’t foolproof if a device is compromised and offers tips to harden Signal privacy, such as enabling disappearing messages and regularly deleting chats.
The FBI thwarted a planned explosive-drone attack on the White House South Lawn during UFC Freedom 250, arresting five suspects across multiple states after investigators found encrypted Signal chats discussing targeting elites; the plot allegedly included an initial drone strike on nearby buildings, a second wave to storm the White House gate, and a sniper setup, with arrests in Cincinnati and pre-attack preparations in Fredericksburg, Virginia ahead of the June 14 event.
Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon says his Signal messaging account was hacked by Russia-linked operatives months ago; the FBI and House IT are investigating after attackers masqueraded as a close acquaintance to gain access, a reminder that even encrypted apps can be vulnerable to spear-phishing. The piece is part of POLITICO’s live Capitol Hill updates, which also cover highway bill talks, a potential short-term extension of FISA/Section 702, Gates’ Epstein testimony, and other congressional news.
Britain's plan to require device-level scanning to block nude images for children has drawn sharp pushback from Signal, which warns the on-device checks could enable mass surveillance and censorship beyond child protection. The proposal, not yet law, gives tech firms a three-month ultimatum to comply or face legislation, tying into broader debates over the Investigatory Powers Act and Online Safety Act. Critics argue on-device scanning creates new security risks and could be repurposed to monitor citizens, while proponents say it could improve child safety without sending data off devices.
CBS News analysis shows multiple viewers watched the San Diego Islamic Center attack live via a Signal livestream, with a Discord user recording and sharing the feed; one viewer urged others to alert police, though it’s unclear if anyone did. The two teen gunmen died by suicide after killing a third victim, and some watchers appeared to be overseas. Discord preserved related data for investigators, while authorities and experts note how online platforms enable such violence.
Germany says Russia ran a global phishing campaign targeting Signal and WhatsApp that affected hundreds of accounts, including German officials; Der Spiegel cites undisclosed government sources and says at least 300 Signal accounts were impacted, with access to chats and verification codes. Dutch, U.S. and German intelligence have linked Russian actors to the operation, while Signal acknowledged targeted phishing and Moscow denies involvement.
Signal welcomed Apple’s iOS 26.4.2 security update, which fixes a logging/redaction issue that could leave notifications marked for deletion on devices. The patch is said to delete inadvertently-preserved notifications and prevent future preservation for deleted apps; the company notes no confirmed link to FBI access reports, and users are advised to install the latest software.
Apple fixed a security flaw that allowed push notifications to retain content from deleted Signal messages, potentially letting authorities access encrypted chats even after deletion. The bug stemmed from a logging issue that failed to redact data; after updating, affected notifications are deleted and future notifications for deleted apps won’t be preserved. Signal praised the quick fix and users are advised to review notification previews for extra privacy.
Apple issued out-of-band updates for iPhone/iPad (iOS 26.4.2 / iPadOS 26.4.2 and iOS 18.7.8 / iPadOS 18.7.8) to fix CVE-2026-28950 in Notification Services that could cause notifications marked for deletion to linger on-device, potentially enabling recovery of Signal messages from notification data; Signal praised the patch, Apple gave limited technical details, and users are advised to update, with a workaround in Signal settings to show only names or no content for notifications.
Apple released patches for iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2 (and iOS 18.7.8 / iPadOS 18.7.8) to fix CVE-2026-28950, a Notification Services logging flaw that could leave deleted notifications on-device, potentially enabling forensic access to Signal messages. The update redacts data and removes inadvertently-preserved notifications; the fix follows a report that the FBI could obtain Signal content via push notification logs, though Signal says no action is needed beyond applying the patch and the EFF warns about notification metadata risks.
Apple released iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2 (along with iOS 18.7.8/iPadOS 18.7.8) to fix a security flaw in notification services that could retain Signal message previews on a device, enabling the FBI to access message content via the internal notification database even after deletion. Apple says the fix improves data redaction to prevent this logging/retention of sensitive content. The issue came to light in court testimony about FBI access to the device’s notification data. Users on affected versions should update to the latest software to mitigate exposure.
The FBI reportedly retrieved incoming Signal messages from a defendant’s iPhone not by accessing the Signal app, but by scraping the device’s push notification database to capture alerts that displayed messages on the Lock Screen, even after the app was deleted. Signal users can mitigate this by enabling notification content blocking (Settings > Notification Content > No Name or Content) to prevent revealing who a message is from or what it contains; note that any app displaying lock-screen previews can create a similar vulnerability.
The FBI has broadened its investigation of threats at MacDill Air Force Base to include an anonymous 3‑minute video sent to the Tampa Bay Times in which a speaker claims responsibility for past threats, cites a March 10 bomb, and references a group calling itself the New Weathermen Underground; the Times relayed the video to investigators, asserting the statements are unverified, while MacDill remains at elevated security (FPCON Charlie) as authorities pursue the probe and review whether the video’s claims are connected to the earlier threats.
Installer No. 116 surveys reader tips for ditching Big Tech, highlighting Proton for email/calendar/docs, Signal for private messaging, Nextcloud for open-source, self-hosted services, and Home Assistant for smart homes; it also flags privacy-focused or open-source options (Firefox, Kagi, Ecosia, Linux Mint, GrapheneOS, Jellyfin, Obsidian) and shares Paris Marx’s homescreen plus crowdsourced picks, showing that a non‑Big Tech life is increasingly feasible.
The FBI says it cannot access data on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s iPhone because the device was in Apple’s Lockdown Mode, a high-security setting designed to guard against sophisticated cyberattacks. Agents could unlock Natanson’s work MacBook Pro with her fingerprint and could read at least some Signal messages from another device, but full extraction from the iPhone was blocked by Lockdown Mode. A court standstill ordered paused further imaging, while the investigation—centered on a Pentagon contractor accused of leaking classified material—continues to raise questions about journalistic First Amendment protections versus government needs. Apple’s Lockdown Mode, introduced in 2022, tightens restrictions on apps, websites, and features to reduce exposure to highly targeted spyware.