Latest news with #TMSGNL
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Knock-off Signal app Mike Waltz was caught using can be hacked in ‘15 to 20 minutes,' report says
The 'knock-off' Signal app Mike Waltz was caught using, which lacks security guarantees, can be hacked in '15 to 20 minutes,' according to a report. Days after former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was caught in photos using a Signal dupe called TeleMessage Signal, or TM SGNL, a hacker broke into the app and was able to access sensitive data. The app, which archives copies of all messages, unlike Signal, was infiltrated easily and within a matter of minutes all thanks to a basic misconfiguration in the app, the hacker told Wired. 'I would say the whole process took about 15 to 20 minutes,' the hacker said. 'It wasn't much effort at all.' TeleMessage, which has since temporarily suspended its services, had a weak password system and a slew of other issues that allowed the hacker to easily infiltrate. 'I first looked at the admin panel and noticed that they were hashing passwords to MD5 on the client side, something that negates the security benefits of hashing passwords, as the hash effectively becomes the password,' the hacker said. Hashing is a security measure that transforms plain-text passwords into a seemingly random string of characters, making it difficult to determine the original password. However, TeleMessage used MD5, an inadequate version of the algorithms used to hash passwords, according to Wired. TeleMessage was also programmed with JSP, an antiquated program to create web apps in Java, which made the hacker realize 'their security must be poor.' The hacker then utilized Feroxbuster, which locates publicly available resources on a website, to find a vulnerable URL to hack. They were then led to a Java heap dump – a snapshot of the server's memory the moment they loaded the URL – and discovered usernames and passwords of random accounts. The hacker tried logging into the app with a random pair of credentials they had just gained access to – and eventually hacked into an account with an email address associated with US Customs and Border Protection. CBP confirmed to Wired that it was a TeleMessage customer. The hacker was then able to read plaintext chat logs, including internal conversations from Coinbase, a popular crypto trading platform. Within 15 to 20 minutes, the hacker said they were able to compromise CBP and Coinbase, according to the report. According to the report, the app uploaded unencrypted messages to before forwarding the messages to the customer's intended destination. This goes against TeleMessage's claims that the app uses 'end-to-end encryption from the mobile phone through to the corporate archive,' according to the report. Additionally, according to the report, if anyone had loaded the heap dump URL as Mike Waltz was texting on the app, they would have been able to gain access to his encrypted Signal messages as well. Waltz was Trump's National Security Adviser before being removed from his post and tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The shakeup happened after Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to a Signal group chat where top Trump officials were discussing imminent U.S. military strikes on Yemen. Goldberg then reported on what was supposed to be a secret dialogue between officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, causing a scandal for the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is Trump's acting National Security Adviser until he names an official replacement.
India Today
02-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Mike Waltz seen using less-secure version of Signal during White House meeting
New photos taken during a cabinet meeting led by US President Donald Trump show that top US officials are using a different version of the Signal messaging app. The images, captured by Reuters on Wednesday, show the phone screen of Mike Waltz, who was recently removed from his position as national security phone shows what looks like a chat on an app named TM SGNL, which is a custom version of the popular Signal messaging app. The version is believed to be created by a company named TeleMessage, which clones popular messaging apps but includes the feature to save and archive to a report from 404 Media, this extra feature may remove end-to-end encryption, which makes Signal trusted for secure communications. If messages can be saved and stored elsewhere, they may not be fully private. "TM SGNL appears to allow archiving, which may mean that private conversations are no longer fully secure," the outlet OFFICIALS PART OF THE CONVERSATIONWaltz's phone screen showed that he was talking to a number of senior White House officials. Among them were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. advertisement These officials are part of top-level security talks, including those surrounding the war against Ukraine and US activities in the Middle is not the first time that Waltz's handling of sensitive information has come under the light. Earlier in March, he added a journalist in a group chat where US officials were discussing military plans to bomb targets in Yemen, plans that were subsequently one of the latest photos, a message from Rubio could be seen reading, "There is time," while JD Vance appeared to write, "I have confirmation from my counterpart it's turned off. He is going to be here in..." The context of these messages is REMOVED, SIGNAL APP STILL APPROVEDEarlier on Thursday, Trump removed Waltz from his position as national security adviser. He has now been appointed as the US ambassador to the United Nations. Marco Rubio, who was already serving as Secretary of State, will temporarily take over Waltz's former response to the viral photos, a White House spokesperson responded to questions by telling The Washington Post, "As we have said many times, Signal is an approved app for government use and is loaded on government phones."However, it's not yet certain if the TM SGNL version used by Waltz is officially approved or safe enough for high-level communication. ALSO READ: You, as a Muslim, must die: US man jailed for killing Palestinian-American boyMust Watch
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Caught on camera: Mike Waltz using less secure version of Signal messaging app
Mike Waltz and the controversy seem to go together for a little longer, as a new photo emerged showing the former national security advisor using a modified and less secure version of the Signal messaging app, TM SGNL, raising fresh security concerns. Yesterday, US President Donald Trump removed Waltz from his position and nominated him for the UN ambassador after the Signal chat leak and now this photo pushed him into controversy's whirl. Reuters photographs from April 30 captured Waltz's phone screen displaying conversations with several high-ranking officials, including JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, and Steve Witkoff. These officials hold crucial positions in managing foreign relations and national security matters, including negotiations with Vladimir Putin regarding the Ukraine conflict. The images were taken at a White House cabinet meeting in Washington DC on April 30, 2025. The modified application, TM SGNL, is developed by TeleMessage, a company that replicates messaging applications with additional archiving capabilities. According to 404 Media's analysis, whilst this archiving feature might help comply with presidential record-keeping requirements, it potentially compromises the end-to-end encryption that makes standard Signal secure, as messages can be retrieved from storage. Visible in the photographs were partial message contents, including a message to "Rubio" stating "there is time" and one from "Vance" reading "I have confirmation from my counterpart it's turned off. He is going to be here in ..." The screen also showed evidence of a call to Gabbard and an 8am "PDB" meeting schedule. Following these events, Trump reassigned Waltz to the position of UN ambassador on Thursday, with Rubio assuming the role of interim national security adviser. The White House's official response maintained that "Signal is an approved app for government use and is loaded on government phones."
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Official Caught Using App Even Less Secure Than Signal
The version of Signal that recently ousted national security adviser Mike Waltz was caught checking during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday is an unofficial edition of the app meant to archive messages, according to 404 Media. The archiving capability suggests that the app may not use end-to-end encryption, making it less secure than the standard version of Signal. In the images, published by Reuters on Thursday, there is a visible message at the bottom of Waltz's screen asking him to verify his 'TM SGNL PIN.' This is different from the standard version of Signal, where this notification just reads 'Verify your Signal PIN.' Not only was Waltz using a private, insecure platform to discuss highly sensitive information, he was using the least secure version of that platform to do so. 'TM SGNL' refers to a program from software company TeleMessage that captures and stores Signal messages for the user. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung on Thursday said that 'Signal is an approved app that is loaded onto our government phones.' It's not clear if other Trump officials are using the far less secure TM SGNL as well. The latest controversy comes as both Waltz and current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have made headlines for multiple Signal chats. On Thursday, Trump removed Waltz from his post as national security adviser and nominated him to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
US President Donald Trump fires Mike Waltz as NSA, taps Marco Rubio as interim replacement
US President Donald Trump on Thursday removed National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as interim replacement, marking the first major shakeup in his administration since taking office in January. Trump announced the move on his Truth Social platform, saying Waltz would be nominated as the next US ambassador to the United Nations. 'He has worked hard to put our nation's interests first,' Trump wrote. Rubio, who now becomes the first person since Henry Kissinger to hold both the Secretary of State and National Security Adviser roles simultaneously, was praised by Trump at a White House event earlier in the day. 'When I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved,' Trump said as per a report by Reuters. Trump had planned to wait until the 100-day mark of his term before dismissing a cabinet-level official, the same report quoted sources as saying. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce reportedly learned about the change from reporters during a press briefing. Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret and former Republican congressman, had faced internal criticism, particularly after being linked to a March scandal involving a Signal chat among senior Trump national security aides. He was also blamed for mistakenly adding a journalist from The Atlantic to a private thread that discussed an impending US strike in Yemen — which the magazine later reported. His deputy, Alex Wong, a North Korea expert, is also being forced out, according to reports. The dismissal comes amid a broader purge within the national security ranks. Since April 1, at least 20 National Security Council staffers, the NSA director, and three senior Pentagon political appointees have been dismissed, Reuters reported. Caught using Signal – Again! US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz checks his mobile phone while attending a cabinet meeting held by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Photographs from Trump's Wednesday cabinet meeting have sparked fresh concerns over secure communications, showing top White House officials using a customised version of the Signal messaging app—weeks after a major security lapse involving the platform. One image captured by Reuters shows former national security adviser Mike Waltz using an app labelled TM SGNL during the April 30 meeting. His screen reveals active chats with Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—now also serving as acting national security adviser—Intelligence Chief Tulsi Gabbard, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The app in question, TM SGNL, is reportedly a modified version of Signal developed by a company called TeleMessage, The Guardian reported, pointing that the app clones messaging platforms while enabling message archiving, a feature designed to meet presidential record-keeping laws. However, tech experts warn this modification may weaken Signal's core security, the report mentioned. As 404 Media reported, the archiving feature likely means Signal's end-to-end encryption 'is possibly 'not maintained, because the messages can be later retrieved after being stored somewhere else.'' One message visible on Waltz's screen read, 'there is time,' apparently directed to Rubio. Another from Vance said: 'I have confirmation from my counterpart it's turned off. He is going to be here in …' There were also signs of a Signal call with Gabbard, and Waltz's calendar showed a morning appointment marked 'PDB'—typically short for President's Daily Brief.
