The Pentagon has even ordered its staff to stop using encrypted messaging service Signal. This warning follows the recent leak of sensitive national security deliberations. Technical vulnerability The warning reveals a troubling technical vulnerability. This became front-page news when a group chat of top US national security leaders—members of the cabinet and vice president—was hacked. This encrypted group chat contained sensitive operational plans for military strikes in Yemen. It did, however, alarm many about the high level official’s communication security.
The plans for air strikes in Houthi controlled areas of Yemen were detailed out in that leak Signal chat. Following these attacks, the Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have killed at least 31 people. These incidents don’t exist in a vacuum—as part of the larger conflict, the US has been carrying out strikes on Houthi targets since November 2023. The Houthis have retaliated by targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, in response to US-backed Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Signal, best known for its end-to-end encryption, has quickly become the app of choice for senior officials in the Trump administration. That includes leading nominees such as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The release of their conversations in the Signal group chat led to a wave of online indignation. Critics were quick to point out the indiscriminate minute nature shown by these senior officials. Weirdly, at the time, former President Trump described that leak as a “glitch.”
In response to the alarming breach, the Pentagon issued a memo. In their response, they argued that third-party messaging apps shouldn’t be used to share any non-public unclassified information. Signal promised that they don’t have any non-public vulnerabilities that they haven’t disclosed. The Atlantic published an article detailing how journalist Jeffrey Goldberg gained access to the Signal group chat, receiving information about upcoming airstrikes on March 15, just hours before their execution.