Germany Opens Espionage Probe Over Signal Phishing Campaign, Russia Suspected

On April 26, 2026, German authorities launched a criminal investigation into a sophisticated Russian-attributed espionage phishing campaign compromising approximately 300 Signal messenger accounts belonging to high-profile government officials, politicians, journalists, military personnel, and intelligence officers. The attack exploited phishing messages falsely claiming to be from 'SignalSecurity Support ChatBots,' prompting victims to scan QR codes that linked attacker-controlled devices enabling real-time monitoring and data access for 45 days. Key victims included Federal Education Minister Karin Prien, Housing Minister Verena Hubertz, and Bundestag President Julia Klöckner. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Office for Information Security intervened to stop data leaks. This incident follows warnings from Dutch intelligence about Russian hackers compromising Signal and WhatsApp accounts of their officials. Germany has already imposed strict prohibitions on private mobile devices in sensitive Defense Ministry meetings since February 2026 to counter such threats. The campaign underscores ongoing Russian espionage attempts targeting European political and military communication channels.