Julia Klöckner, the President of the German Bundestag and a member of the CDU, is reportedly a victim of the current wave of phishing attacks targeting users of the messaging service Signal. According to reports cited by “Der Spiegel” her Signal account was successfully compromised by attackers.
Initially, Klöckner was unreachable for the magazine. A CDU spokesperson later confirmed to the news outlet that a chat group containing party executive members had been affected.
A government spokesperson echoed the public warnings issued by authorities regarding the ongoing campaign, but declined to comment specifically on potential victims or sensitive security procedures. Similarly, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) did not wish to comment on the matter.
Klöckner holds the second-highest state office and is also part of the CDU’s executive board, whose members allegedly communicated through Signal group chats. The former Chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU), has reportedly been a member of the chat. According to “Der Spiegel” employees from the BfV had reportedly visited Merz in person to brief him on the situation. An inspection of his smartphone apparently found no irregularities.
The BfV had warned coalition party leaders and the party headquarters in the Bundestag multiple times as of Tuesday about the continuing campaign. Security sources indicate that at least 300 people in Germany are known to be affected.
A 20-page warning issued by the BfV stated that it should be assumed that numerous Signal groups within the parliamentary sphere are currently being read by attackers almost unnoticed. The warning also noted that the BfV was already aware of numerous high-profile cases, but emphasized that the actual number of affected individuals is likely much higher.
International intelligence agencies attribute the attacks, which have been ongoing for months, to Russia.
