The Speaker of Germany’s Bundestag has been targeted in a phishing attack linked to Russia, Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
Julia Klöckner, a prominent member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU party, had her Signal account hacked, according to the newspaper, which cited anonymous intelligence sources.
A Klöckner spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the report to French news agency AFP, stating that the German Parliament generally does not share details regarding critical security infrastructure.
Der Spiegel also reported that Klöckner is part of the CDU’s executive committee, whose members, including Merz, use Signal for group communication.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, reportedly informed Chancellor Merz of the breach. After examining his device, no irregularities were detected.
Earlier this week, the BfV had issued a warning to parliamentarians about a surge in phishing attacks targeting them.
“It must be assumed that attackers are accessing numerous Signal groups within the parliamentary sphere, often without detection,” Der Spiegel quoted the agency as stating.
Germany, a leading provider of military aid to Ukraine, has experienced repeated cyberattacks, espionage attempts, and sabotage, allegedly orchestrated by Moscow, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Phishing is a method used online to trick individuals into revealing personal information or into clicking on malicious links, often by impersonating familiar contacts or organisations.
