BERLIN — German officials are pointing the finger at Russia for orchestrating sophisticated cyberattacks that breached the Signal messaging accounts of senior government officials, military leaders, and members of the press, according to a government representative.
Federal prosecutors began a preliminary probe in mid-February 2026 following reports of cyber intrusions targeting Signal users, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office confirmed Saturday.
The investigation centers on potential espionage activities, the spokesperson noted, though she declined to identify which nation might be responsible.
Berlin has not yet formally blamed Russia for the digital assault.
Since Russia launched its comprehensive military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, Germany and neighboring European nations have faced a surge in cyberattacks and hostile activities that Western intelligence agencies have traced back to Moscow.
Approximately 300 Signal accounts belonging to people in political circles were breached during the operation, according to German publication Der Spiegel, citing government insiders.
Officials have not publicly released the identities of those affected.
Der Spiegel reported that victims received deceptive messages from what appeared to be Signal’s security system, alerting them to unusual account activity and urging immediate response. When users complied with the instructions — which included providing PIN codes or scanning QR codes — their accounts became accessible to attackers through external devices.
The breach enabled hackers to access previous message exchanges, monitor current communications, and view contact lists along with other personal information.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency BfV and federal cybersecurity organization BSI issued public alerts in February about the phishing operation, describing it as “likely being carried out by a state-controlled cyber actor.” German news agency dpa reported that authorities also reached out directly to warn specific politicians about potential compromises.
Dutch intelligence and security agencies issued their own warning in March, stating that “Russian state hackers are engaged in a large-scale global cyber campaign to gain access to Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to dignitaries, military personnel and civil servants.”
The Dutch warning specified that government workers were among the targets, and noted that journalists may have also been compromised.
Russia’s diplomatic mission in Berlin declined to respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press. The Kremlin has consistently rejected accusations of conducting espionage operations against other nations.
On Monday morning, Russian officials summoned Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Germany’s ambassador to Russia, regarding alleged connections between German political figures and terrorist groups, dpa reported. Authorities have not established any link between this diplomatic action and the recent Signal attack revelations.
“I will, of course, comply with the summons. I consider it unlikely that the Russian side will be able to substantiate its accusations,” Lambsdorff stated beforehand. Diplomatic relations between the two nations have remained strained for several years.
