Washington, D.C. — Recent images taken during a cabinet meeting have unveiled that top officials in the White House are utilizing a modified version of the Signal messaging app, raising concerns about the security of their communications. This comes in the wake of a national security incident last month, where the app played a central role in a significant breach.
The photos, obtained by Reuters, show the phone screen of Mike Waltz, who was recently removed as national security adviser. During his brief tenure, Waltz faced scrutiny after inadvertently including a journalist in a group chat where sensitive operational discussions were held regarding U.S. military strategies in Yemen. Following these revelations, Waltz has now transitioned to the role of U.N. ambassador.
In the recently surfaced images, messages on Waltz’s device suggest correspondence with high-ranking officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence. These officials are heavily involved in critical geopolitical matters, including ongoing negotiations relating to the conflict in Ukraine.
The messaging app in question appears to be a variant known as TM SGNL, produced by TeleMessage, a company that specializes in creating clones of popular messaging platforms with added archival capabilities. This adaptation allows messages to be stored, possibly compromising the end-to-end encryption that users trust for confidential exchanges.
Experts have raised alarms that this may circumvent the security guarantees typically associated with Signal, as messages might be retrievable from an external source, potentially compromising sensitive communications. The implications of such a switch could affect both current security protocols and legal frameworks surrounding governmental communication.
While not much of the content could be gleaned from the screen images, snippets from messages indicate ongoing discussions about national security matters. One message, likely from Rubio, stated, “There is time,” while another from Vance noted a confirmation regarding certain arrangements, highlighting the operational nature of their discussions.
Additionally, scheduling entries on the phone suggested that Waltz had made a call to Gabbard using Signal and had a meeting planned for the president’s daily briefing, a crucial aspect of daily administrative operations.
Following the publication of the photographs, Waltz was swiftly reassigned, and President Donald Trump appointed Rubio as the interim national security adviser. This reshuffling occurs as the administration seeks to stabilize its approach to both domestic and international challenges.
In response to inquiries about the messaging app’s security, a White House spokesperson reiterated that Signal is sanctioned for government use and is installed on official devices. However, the evolving dynamics surrounding its usage and the implications for confidential communications underscore the importance of robust security measures in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
