The FBI has identified hackers linked to Russia who compromised commercial messaging apps in the US, including Signal, said Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kesh Patel.
“This campaign targeted individuals with high intelligence value, including current and former US government employees, military, political figures and journalists“, he wrote in X.
The hackers gained access to thousands of accounts and were able to “view messages and contact lists, send messages impersonating the victim, and carry out additional phishing attacks“, Patel explained.
This is not the first time the US has accused Russia of cyberattacks. In the summer of 2021, Bloomberg, citing its own sources, reported that hackers linked to the Russian government had hacked the computer networks of the Republican National Committee.
The agency's sources suggested that the hackers were part of the APT29 or Cozy Bear group, which the United States has linked to the Russian foreign intelligence service.
Richard Walters, the Republican Party's chief of staff, announced that the hackers were unable to access their data.