Hacker News with Generative AI: Messaging Apps

Trump calls Signal chat fallout a 'witch hunt',says 'app could be defective' (apnews.com)
President Donald Trump downplayed the Signal chat leak Wednesday as a “witch hunt” and said, without evidence, that the encrypted messaging app “could be defective” as his administration struggles to stem the fallout.

Politics, Social Media, Messaging Apps, Encryption

14 points by croes 6 days ago | 7 comments

SignalGate Is Driving the Most US Downloads of Signal Ever (wired.com)
SignalGate, as it's come to be called, may be the biggest scandal to hit the Trump administration in its first months in power. But it's been great for Signal.

Messaging Apps, Politics, Security, Technology

123 points by bentobean 6 days ago | 86 comments

Use Signal – Surveillance Self-Defense (ssd.eff.org)
Signal is a free and open-source application for Android, iOS, and desktop that employs end-to-end encryption to keep communications safe.

Privacy, Security, Messaging Apps, Open Source

13 points by janandonly 7 days ago | 1 comments

Elon Musk to put his technical experts on the Signals leak (usatoday.com)
WASHINGTON − The Atlantic magazine published Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's messages to a group chat detailing the times and weapons used to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, as the fallout deepened over Trump administration officials using the encrypted chat app Signal to discuss classified war plans.

Security, Politics, Military, Messaging Apps

13 points by rossant 7 days ago | 10 comments

Ask HN: Is Washington Post correct in saying Signal is unsecure? (ycombinator.com)
"the conversation that occurred over an unsecure, commercially available messaging platform."

Security, Privacy, Social Media, Messaging Apps

50 points by killjoywashere 7 days ago | 105 comments

CIA Director Reveals Signal Comes Installed on Agency Computers (theintercept.com)
For years, U.S. officials villainized end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal as the domain of criminals and terrorists and a threat to national security.

National Security, Government Surveillance, Cybersecurity, Messaging Apps, Encryption

117 points by jbegley 8 days ago | 99 comments

Pentagon warned staffers against using Signal before White House chat leak (theguardian.com)
The Pentagon recently warned its employees against using Signal, the encrypted messaging app, due to a technical vulnerability, an NPR report reveals.

Security, Government, Messaging Apps, Privacy

31 points by n1b0m 8 days ago | 0 comments

NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat (cbsnews.com)
The National Security Agency sent out an operational security special bulletin to its employees in February 2025 warning them of vulnerabilities in using the encrypted messaging application Signal, according to internal NSA documents obtained by CBS News.

National Security, Cybersecurity, Encryption, Messaging Apps, Government

27 points by jasoncartwright 8 days ago | 5 comments

A Signal Update Fends Off a Phishing Technique Used in Russian Espionage (wired.com)
Google warns that hackers tied to Russia are tricking Ukrainian soldiers with fake QR codes for Signal group invites that let spies steal their messages. Signal has pushed out new safeguards.

Cybersecurity, Espionage, Russia, Ukraine, Messaging Apps

10 points by Teever 8 days ago | 0 comments

A Pentagon-wide email recently went out warning about Signal's vulnerability (npr.org)
A Pentagon-wide advisory went out one week ago warning against using the messaging app Signal, even for unclassified information.

Security, Messaging Apps, Government, Pentagon

12 points by toomuchtodo 8 days ago | 1 comments

Letscage.com – P2P encrypted messaging app (letscage.com)

Messaging Apps, Privacy, Security, Encryption

10 points by m00dy 18 days ago | 1 comments

Briar: Peer to Peer Encrypted Messaging (briarproject.org)
Briar is a messaging app designed for activists, journalists, and anyone else who needs a safe, easy and robust way to communicate.

Privacy, Messaging Apps, Security, Activism

450 points by CobaltFire 19 days ago | 211 comments

Signal no longer cooperating with Ukraine on Russian cyberthreats, official says (therecord.media)
KYIV, Ukraine — The encrypted messaging app Signal has stopped responding to requests from Ukrainian law enforcement regarding Russian cyberthreats, a Ukrainian official claimed, warning that the shift is aiding Moscow’s intelligence efforts.

Cybersecurity, Ukraine, Russia, Messaging Apps

18 points by nickcotter 21 days ago | 4 comments

Delta Chat, decentralized secure messenger (delta.chat)
Delta Chat is a decentralized and secure messenger app

Privacy, Messaging Apps, Open Source, Decentralized Technologies

6 points by ColinWright 25 days ago | 0 comments

Signal is the number-one downloaded app in the Netherlands. But why? (techcrunch.com)
Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has been flying high in the Dutch app stores this past month, often sitting at the top as the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android across all categories, per data from multiple app-tracking platforms such as Sensor Tower.

Mobile Apps, Netherlands, Privacy, Messaging Apps

12 points by impish9208 31 days ago | 6 comments

Signal will withdraw from Sweden if encryption-busting laws take effect (theregister.com)
Signal CEO Meredith Whittaker says her company will withdraw from countries that force messaging providers to allow law enforcement officials to access encrypted user data, as Sweden continues to mull such plans.

Privacy, Encryption, Sweden, Messaging Apps, Law Enforcement

55 points by pseudolus 35 days ago | 18 comments

WhatsApp, Signal Sign letter against UK privacy bill, say they will not comply (2023) (cnet.com)
Signal, WhatsApp and other encrypted chat apps have come together to sign a letter warning of privacy risks associated with the UK's new online safety bill.

Privacy, Messaging Apps, Legislation, UK

77 points by toss1 40 days ago | 18 comments

Multiple Russia-aligned threat actors actively targeting Signal Messenger (cloud.google.com)
Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has observed increasing efforts from several Russia state-aligned threat actors to compromise Signal Messenger accounts used by individuals of interest to Russia's intelligence services.

Cybersecurity, Russia, Messaging Apps, Espionage, Threat Intelligence

836 points by karel-3d 42 days ago | 289 comments

Russian phishing campaigns exploit Signal's device-linking feature (bleepingcomputer.com)
Russian threat actors have been launching phishing campaigns that exploit the legitimate “Linked Devices” feature in the Signal messaging app to gain unauthorized access to accounts of interest.

Cybersecurity, Phishing, Signal, Messaging Apps, Russia

7 points by todsacerdoti 43 days ago | 0 comments

Reviewing the cryptography used by Signal (soatok.blog)
Last year, I urged furries to stop using Telegram because it doesn’t actually provide them with any of the privacy guarantees they think it gives them.

Cryptography, Privacy, Security, Messaging Apps

172 points by todsacerdoti 44 days ago | 151 comments

European Parliament urges lawmakers to use encrypted messages after China hacks (politico.eu)
The European Parliament has asked lawmakers, parliamentary assistants and staff to use Signal, an end-to-end-encrypted messaging app, as an instant messaging tool for work-related communications, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO.

Cybersecurity, Europe, Government, Messaging Apps

4 points by nickslaughter02 48 days ago | 1 comments

A guide to using Signal for government workers (wholelottanothing.org)
As a federal civilian with some technical know-how, I wanted to share with my fellow colleagues the importance of moving to Signal for messages instead of using other tools like iMessage.

Privacy, Security, Messaging Apps, Government

3 points by benwerd 58 days ago | 2 comments

Signal: A Synchronized Start for Linked Devices (signal.org)
With Signal on Desktop and iPad, you can link your primary Android or iOS account with another device, letting you check and respond to messages in both places or conduct video meetings and calls from the comfort of a bigger screen.

Messaging Apps, Cross-Platform, Mobile Devices, Security

11 points by EvanHahn 65 days ago | 1 comments

Signal Messenger is now available on Guardian F-Droid repo (guardianproject.info)
Signal is a messaging app with privacy at its core. It is free and easy to use, with strong end-to-end encryption that keeps your communication completely private.

Messaging Apps, Privacy, Security, Open Source, Android

13 points by vilib 66 days ago | 3 comments

0-click deanonymization attack targeting Signal, Discord, other platforms (github.com)
I'm publishing this writeup and research as a warning, especially for journalists, activists, and hackers, about this type of undetectable attack. Hundreds of applications are vulnerable, including some of the most popular apps in the world: Signal, Discord, Twitter/X, and others. Here's how it works:

Security, Privacy, Zero-Click Attacks, Messaging Apps

1457 points by hackermondev 71 days ago | 437 comments

Don't Use Session (Signal Fork) (soatok.blog)
Last year, I outlined the specific requirements that an app needs to have in order for me to consider it a Signal competitor.

Privacy, Messaging Apps, Open Source

68 points by xena 78 days ago | 12 comments

A decade and a half of instability: The history of Google messaging apps (2021) (arstechnica.com)
Sixteen years after the launch of Google Talk, Google messaging is still a mess.

Google, Messaging Apps, Technology, History

24 points by mooreds 80 days ago | 9 comments

How WhatsApp became an unstoppable global cultural force (restofworld.org)
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is not just the most popular messaging app in the world — it’s a digital lifeline.

Social Media, Messaging Apps, Global Culture, Technology, Communication

63 points by insane_dreamer 112 days ago | 194 comments

WhatsApp became an unstoppable cultural force (restofworld.org)
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is not just the most popular messaging app in the world — it’s a digital lifeline.

Social Media, Culture, Technology, Messaging Apps

36 points by sohkamyung 113 days ago | 1 comments

WhatsApp Ate the World (restofworld.org)
WhatsApp is already the world’s most widely used messaging app. Meta wants it to be a lot more.

Messaging Apps, Social Media, Meta, Business

9 points by cannibalXxx 114 days ago | 0 comments