US officials' Signal mishap exposes Yemen attack plans
American officials inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal chat, revealing plans for an attack on the Houthis in Yemen. How did this mistake occur, and what implications does it have for security?
What you need to know
- Signal is a messaging application that offers end-to-end encryption, meaning only the participants in the conversation can access its content.
- In February 2025, American officials mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal chat where military plans concerning attacks on Yemen were discussed.
- The Pentagon forbids using the application for transmitting classified information, raising questions about the compliance of the officials' actions with existing regulations.
Signal: How did the leak of secret information occur?
American officials mistakenly added the editor of "The Atlantic" to a group chat on Signal, where military plans for attacks on Yemen were under discussion. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes confirmed the authenticity of the messages and noted that an analysis is ongoing to determine how the wrong number was included in the chat.
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Signal, renowned for its high level of security, offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring that even the application itself cannot access the content of conversations. However, in this instance, human error led to the disclosure of potentially classified information.
Did Hegseth breach Pentagon rules?
Pentagon regulations clearly state that messaging applications are not authorised to handle classified information. Nevertheless, some officials in the Joe Biden administration may have utilised Signal on their work phones, provided they did not share classified information there.
When discussing military plans, such as attacks on Yemen, it is highly likely that this information was classified as secret. This raises concerns about the compliance of the officials' actions with current regulations.
One of the individuals in the Signal group was the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth.
Serious consequences for security
Signal, as an open-source application, enables users to verify whether it indeed operates as claimed. Signal Foundation president Meredith Whittaker assures that the application, with its advanced encryption, cannot relay data even to law enforcement agencies.
However, the incident involving American officials demonstrates that even the most robust technological safeguards can be compromised by human errors. This underscores the importance of exercising caution and adhering to security guidelines when using messaging applications.
