Trump Adviser’s Messaging App Suspends Services after Reported Hack
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – TeleMessage, a communications app used by former US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, has temporarily halted operations following a reported cyberattack that exposed user messages.
Smarsh, the Portland-based company behind TeleMessage, said in an email Monday it was “investigating a potential security incident” and had suspended all services “out of an abundance of caution.”
The US Department of Homeland Security said separately that Customs and Border Protection had “immediately disabled TeleMessage as a precautionary measure.”
“The investigation into the scope of the breach is ongoing,” DHS said in an emailed statement.
A Reuters photograph showed Waltz using TeleMessage—an unofficial variant of the encrypted app Signal—during a cabinet meeting last Wednesday.
Waltz was removed from his post the following day, ending weeks of controversy over his creation of a Signal group to share real-time updates on US military activity in Yemen.
The group gained scrutiny after Waltz, or someone using his account, mistakenly added a well-known journalist to the chat.
Concerns intensified after reports on Sunday revealed a hacker had accessed TeleMessage’s backend systems and intercepted messages.
Tech news outlet 404 Media reported that the hacker provided them with stolen content, some of which was independently verified.
