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NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat
March 25, 2025
The National Security Agency (NSA) recently issued an operational security bulletin to its employees, highlighting vulnerabilities associated with the use of the encrypted messaging application Signal. This alert, dated February 2025, was revealed through internal NSA documents obtained by CBS News and comes in the wake of a significant article published in The Atlantic. The article, penned by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, detailed an incident in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inadvertently shared sensitive war plans in a Signal chat group just hours before U.S. military operations against Houthi militia in Yemen commenced.
Details of the Bulletin
The NSA, a key component of the Defense Department focused on signals intelligence and cybersecurity, is tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security through the monitoring and processing of electronic communications. The bulletin, titled “Signal Vulnerability,” was disseminated shortly before Goldberg was mistakenly added to the group chat by national security adviser Mike Waltz. It begins with a stark warning:
A vulnerability has been identified in the Signal Messenger Application. The bulletin notes that the application has become a high-value target for interception due to its use by individuals often subject to surveillance and espionage.
Additionally, the bulletin cautioned NSA personnel about the increasing sophistication of Russian hacking groups employing phishing tactics to infiltrate encrypted conversations, thereby circumventing the app’s end-to-end encryption. Employees were reminded that while third-party messaging applications like Signal and WhatsApp may be used for certain unclassified activities, they are not suitable for sharing sensitive information.
Guidance for NSA Employees
NSA employees were explicitly instructed to refrain from transmitting any compromising information via social media or internet-based applications and to avoid establishing connections with unknown individuals. CBS News reached out to the NSA for comments regarding the bulletin but did not receive a response prior to publication.
On the following Tuesday, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, both participants in the Signal group chat, testified before a Senate panel. Gabbard assured lawmakers that no classified material was exchanged in the chat. However, the NSA’s bulletin emphasizes that even unclassified information should not be shared on Signal, advising against the dissemination of “unclassified, nonpublic” details.
Ratcliffe defended Signal as a permissible communication tool approved by the White House for senior officials, stating that the group chat served as a means for communication among high-level officials but should not replace classified communication channels. When questioned by Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich regarding the content of the Signal conversation, both Ratcliffe and Gabbard denied any knowledge of operational details related to the military strike in Yemen.
NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat
The National Security Agency (NSA) recently issued an operational security bulletin to its employees, highlighting vulnerabilities associated with the use of the encrypted messaging application Signal. This alert, dated February 2025, was revealed through internal NSA documents obtained by CBS News and comes in the wake of a significant article published in The Atlantic. The article, penned by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, detailed an incident in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inadvertently shared sensitive war plans in a Signal chat group just hours before U.S. military operations against Houthi militia in Yemen commenced.
Details of the Bulletin
The NSA, a key component of the Defense Department focused on signals intelligence and cybersecurity, is tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security through the monitoring and processing of electronic communications. The bulletin, titled “Signal Vulnerability,” was disseminated shortly before Goldberg was mistakenly added to the group chat by national security adviser Mike Waltz. It begins with a stark warning:
Additionally, the bulletin cautioned NSA personnel about the increasing sophistication of Russian hacking groups employing phishing tactics to infiltrate encrypted conversations, thereby circumventing the app’s end-to-end encryption. Employees were reminded that while third-party messaging applications like Signal and WhatsApp may be used for certain unclassified activities, they are not suitable for sharing sensitive information.
Guidance for NSA Employees
NSA employees were explicitly instructed to refrain from transmitting any compromising information via social media or internet-based applications and to avoid establishing connections with unknown individuals. CBS News reached out to the NSA for comments regarding the bulletin but did not receive a response prior to publication.
On the following Tuesday, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, both participants in the Signal group chat, testified before a Senate panel. Gabbard assured lawmakers that no classified material was exchanged in the chat. However, the NSA’s bulletin emphasizes that even unclassified information should not be shared on Signal, advising against the dissemination of “unclassified, nonpublic” details.
Ratcliffe defended Signal as a permissible communication tool approved by the White House for senior officials, stating that the group chat served as a means for communication among high-level officials but should not replace classified communication channels. When questioned by Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich regarding the content of the Signal conversation, both Ratcliffe and Gabbard denied any knowledge of operational details related to the military strike in Yemen.
Arden Farhi contributed to this report.