US offers a $10 MILLION bounty on Russian hackers hijacking Signal and WhatsApp

The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on Russian hacker groups UNC5792 and UNC4221, who target Signal and WhatsApp accounts through phishing.

The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on Russian hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp. It's a serious escalation. The hackers are linked to Russian intelligence agencies, specifically UNC5792 and UNC4221. They're not just random criminals.

They run phishing campaigns, impersonating Signal 'support' and tricking victims into sharing their backup recovery keys. The hackers use social engineering, fooling humans into sharing their keys. The encryption wasn't broken; it's us.

Their targets are high-profile: US government officials, military leaders, journalists, and allies. No one is safe. Remember, the weakest link in security is often us. How can we protect ourselves better?

This bounty aims to gather crucial information. Would you trust your data to these hackers?

Key facts

• The US State Department is offering up to $10 million, through its Rewards for Justice program, for information on Russian hacker groups UNC5792 and UNC4221.
• UNC5792 is linked to Russia's FSB border guards; UNC4221 works for Russian military intelligence.
• They run phishing campaigns targeting the Signal and WhatsApp accounts of US government officials, military leaders, journalists, and allies.
• The trick: they impersonate Signal "support" and walk targets through a fake two-factor verification, stealing the victim's Signal Backup Recovery Key to read their past messages.
• Important: the encryption itself was NOT broken; this is social engineering, fooling the human.
• It is a reminder that the weakest link in security is usually us, not the math.

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