Germany: The scale of Signal hacking within parliament is 'extremely worrying'

A cyberattack starting in February 2026 has targeted Signal messaging app users within the German Bundestag parliament, military, diplomatic, media, and journalistic sectors. The attack employed phishing to compromise accounts, including that of Julia Klöckner, president of the Bundestag. Konstantin von Notz, a Green party member and security expert, described the scale as 'extremely worrying' and said the integrity of parliamentary communications cannot currently be guaranteed. The Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating for espionage, with Russia named as the main suspect amidst ongoing tensions due to Berlin's military aid to Ukraine and Moscow's alleged cyber campaign against Germany. The government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has provided limited information but confirmed the attacks are ongoing and probably state-sponsored. Opposition parties SPD and Die Linke have acknowledged some of their members were affected. Von Notz called for increased public awareness and rigorous investigation by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.