NÚKIB warns: Russian actors attacking Signal used by Czech politicians
The National Cyber and Information Security Office has issued a warning about attacks linked to Russia targeting the encrypted Signal application. Czech politicians and officials are among those at risk.
Russia targets Signal: NÚKIB issues security warning
The National Cyber and Information Security Office (NÚKIB) issued a warning on Friday to Czech users of the encrypted communication application Signal. According to Novinky.cz, the application is used by a number of people in Czech political circles.
"The activities are linked in particular to actors connected to the Russian Federation and their aim is to gain access to victims' communications by exploiting user negligence," said NÚKIB.
Previous campaigns have focused primarily on individuals from the security, state administration and politics sectors. The office also noted that similar techniques have been observed in Ukraine, Germany, France and the Netherlands, with the actual scope of activities likely to be broader.
Signal functions similarly to the widely used WhatsApp, but offers more rigorous encryption of transmitted data. This is precisely why it is a popular choice for sensitive communication.
Attackers do not attempt to break the encryption technically. Instead, they target the users themselves. "They use social engineering and phishing techniques aimed at persuading users to connect a foreign device to their account or to disclose their PIN code or other access credentials," said NÚKIB. Among the most common methods are fake messages posing as technical support, forged links and malicious QR codes.
Alongside the warning, the office also issued specific security recommendations. Users should regularly check the list of devices connected to their account, should not disclose their PIN code or verification credentials to anyone, and should not scan QR codes or open links that they did not themselves request.
Source: Novinky.cz