Signal and WhatsApp data breach: what happened and what to do
Last reviewed July 8, 2026 · 2 records on file · sources listed below
A Russian state-backed cyber group compromised thousands of Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to investigative reporters. The group targeted these accounts, leveraging unauthorized access to the messaging platforms to potentially access private conversations and personal data. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of the group, which has been actively carrying out the hacking spree since at least March.
If you have an account with Signal and WhatsApp, assume the exposed details are circulating. The practical risk today is rarely the leak itself — it is the calls and messages that use those details to sound legitimate.
What we have on file
Every entry below is a catalogued record with its original source. We do not paraphrase beyond what the source reports.
Login Credentials · Hacking
Russian-backed hackers launched a global cyber campaign targeting Signal and WhatsApp accounts used by officials, military personnel, and journalists, gaining unauthorized access to these accounts.
What to do
- Change the password anywhere you reused itThe exposure matters most when the same password protects your email, because email is how everything else gets reset.
- Treat every call and text about this breach as a scam until proven otherwiseNo company will ask you for a one-time code, a PIN or a password. Hang up and call the number printed on your card.
- Read your statements for the next three monthsCard fraud usually starts with a small test charge. Catching that one is what stops the large one.
- Give your email account a password nothing else usesIt is the account that can reset all the others, so it is the one worth protecting first.
Questions people ask
Was my data in the Signal and WhatsApp breach?
Having an account alone does not confirm exposure. The reliable check is whether your email address appears in the leaked datasets in circulation — that takes seconds and does not require your password.
Is it too late to do anything?
No. Leaked personal details do not expire, and neither does the defence: a unique password on your email, and a fraud alert on your credit file, still work years later.
Will Signal and WhatsApp contact me?
They may. But scammers contact people too, using exactly these breach details to sound convincing. Never act on an inbound call or text — call back on a number you already had.
701 organisations catalogued
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