Czechia issues warning over Russia-linked attempts to access Signal accounts
Politicians, government officials, security experts are primary targets, says cybersecurity watchdog
The Czech Republic’s cybersecurity watchdog has warned of attempts by actors primarily linked to Russia to gain access to accounts on the encrypted messaging application Signal, local media reported on Friday.
The National Cyber and Information Security Agency said the attacks mainly target politicians, government officials and security experts, though any user could fall victim, Radio Prague International reported.
According to the agency, the attackers do not seek to breach Signal’s encryption. Instead, they use social engineering techniques to persuade users to connect an unknown device to their account or disclose their personal identification number.
The methods include fraudulent messages purporting to come from Signal’s support service, malicious links and fake QR codes disguised as invitations to join groups, it added.
By convincing users to link another device to their accounts, attackers can gain unauthorized access without directly compromising the application’s encryption.
The agency urged users to remain cautious when receiving unsolicited messages, links or QR codes and to verify requests before linking new devices to their accounts.
The warning follows similar campaigns reported earlier this year in the Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine and other European countries.
In March, the Netherlands’ AIVD and MIVD intelligence services warned of what they described as a large-scale global campaign by Russian state actors targeting government employees, military personnel, civil servants and journalists.
In April, German authorities also warned of attacks targeting senior politicians, lawmakers, diplomats, military officers and journalists. Berlin later said it believed Russia was behind the campaign, while federal prosecutors opened an espionage investigation.
