May 02, 2025 14:32:00

Trump administration official who accidentally leaked military secrets used an unofficial app to archive Signal messages

In March 2025,

Michael Waltz , who served as National Security Advisor in the Trump administration, accidentally added a civilian to a group chat on the messenger app Signal , leaking top-secret military operations to the public. Waltz was dismissed as presidential advisor on May 1 and announced to be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, which is seen as a de facto replacement. Foreign media 404 Media reported that Waltz was using an 'unofficial app to archive Signal messages.'

Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages
https://www.404media.co/mike-waltz-accidentally-reveals-obscure-app-the-government-is-using-to-archive-signal-messages/

On March 15, 2025, the United States bombed the base of the Houthi rebels, a pro-Iranian armed group in Yemen that continues to attack merchant ships in the Red Sea. On March 11, just before the attack, Waltz accidentally invited Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine The Atlantic, to a Signal group chat where government officials gather.

The government officials were talking without being aware of Goldberg's presence, and on the 14th, the day before the bombing, they discussed the situation in the Red Sea and the timing of the attack. Then on the 15th, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted information about the targets of the attack, the weapons to be deployed, and the order of the attacks, so Goldberg, although skeptical, was able to know the facts before the attack occurred. For more details about the conversation in the group chat, please read the article below.

President Trump's aide accidentally leaks top-secret war plans, actual screenshots also released - GIGAZINE

Later, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified at a hearing that Signal is pre-installed on government devices. Signal is a classified messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption, but the National Security Agency (NSA) has warned employees that professional Russian hacking groups have a way to circumvent Signal's encryption.

The head of the US intelligence agency admits that Signal is pre-installed on government devices, despite the government telling employees not to use it - GIGAZINE

After the series of reports, President Donald Trump seemed to be protecting Waltz, but there were growing voices in the White House calling for his replacement, and on May 1, Waltz's de facto dismissal was announced.

Meanwhile, 404 Media points out that something noteworthy was captured in a photo published by foreign media Reuters of 'Mr. Waltz checking his smartphone while attending a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC on April 30, 2025.'

Below is a close-up of Waltz's smartphone in the photo in question. Below the names of government officials such as 'J.D. Vance (Vice President of the United States),' the message 'Verify your TM SGNL PIN' is displayed. This is similar to the PIN code verification message of Signal, but this is different from the one displayed in the official Signal.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

404 Media points out that the 'TM SGNL' displayed on Waltz's phone appears to refer to software from a company called TeleMessage, which makes Signal clones.

TeleMessage's app will capture and archive sent and received Signal messages on iOS, Android and desktop, using the standard Signal interface and encryption, and will upload captured messages and files to an email archiving vendor of your choice.

Signal Capture | Signal Recording - TeleMessage
https://www.telemessage.com/mobile-archiver/signal-archiver/

Check out the video below to see what TeleMessage's Signal Archive app looks like:

TeleMessage Signal Archiver - YouTube


Use two smartphones to exchange messages using Signal.

This will then record the messages you send and receive in your email account, such as Gmail.

When I opened the email, the messages I had sent and received were listed.

Images and files sent and received will also be archived as is.

404 Media claims that while Signal has end-to-end encryption, it doesn't work when using the app because messages are stored elsewhere, and that using email accounts like Gmail also poses risks.

Neither TeleMessage, Signal, nor U.S. government officials responded to 404 Media's requests for comment. However, 404 Media's investigation found numerous U.S. government contracts referencing TeleMessage, including a contract for Signal and WhatsApp message archiving for approximately $90,000 in December 2024.

Waltz may have been using the TeleMessage app to comply with a federal judge's March 27 order requiring government officials to preserve all messages exchanged in Signal group chats.

Judge orders participants in Signal chat group blunder to preserve all messages | Signal group chat leak | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/judge-orders-signal-chat-group-messages-preservation

404 Media said, 'One of the concerns raised by these group chats was that government officials using Signal were not complying with federal records laws regarding government communications. TeleMessage may solve that problem.'