A recent hack of the messaging app TeleMessage exposed messages from over 60 U.S. government officials, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The platform was taken offline as investigations continue, with key figures and the company remaining silent.
A hacker who broke into the messaging platform TeleMessage earlier this month accessed communications from a wider range of U.S. government officials than previously known. The platform had been used by U.S. President Donald Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz and various federal agencies.
According to data reviewed by Reuters, the breach exposed messages from more than 60 government users, including disaster response teams, customs officials, diplomats, a White House staffer, and members of the Secret Service. The leaked messages, which covered roughly a one-day period, were shared by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit that publishes hacked materials in the public interest.
While many of the messages were fragmentary, some referenced government travel plans, including visits to the Vatican and Jordan. Reuters was unable to verify the full contents of the leak but confirmed several phone numbers and message recipients, including applicants for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a financial services firm.
The breach gained public attention after Waltz was photographed using TeleMessage’s version of the encrypted app Signal during a cabinet meeting on April 30. Waltz had previously drawn headlines for mistakenly adding a journalist to a Signal chat where cabinet officials were discussing airstrikes in Yemen. He was later removed from his role, although Trump nominated him to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Experts say that even if no secret info was leaked, the data about who talked to whom and when could still help foreign spies.
U.S. government agencies reacted cautiously. The White House acknowledged the incident but offered no further comment. The United States Secret Service said a limited number of its employees used the app and that the matter is under review. FEMA said it had no evidence that its data was compromised. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed it had disabled the platform and launched an investigation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated it tested the app in 2024 but ultimately chose not to adopt it.
TeleMessage is operated by the Oregon-based company Smarsh. The service was taken offline on May 5 "out of an abundance of caution." The full extent of the breach and officials like Waltz’s use of the platform remain unclear. Neither the company, Waltz, nor the White House have responded to inquiries.
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