CIA veteran blasts military's use of Signal app for planning
John Sipher, a former CIA officer, sharply criticized the use of the Signal app for planning a military operation. In his opinion, such an action embarrasses the U.S. and exposes the incompetence of its leaders.
Former CIA officer John Sipher, in an interview with the Polish Press Agency, expressed his outrage regarding the use of the Signal app to plan a military operation. Sipher emphasized that if he or anyone else at the CIA had engaged in similar conduct, they would have been immediately dismissed.
The matter involved the accidental addition of "The Atlantic" editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a group chat where details of an operation against Yemeni Houthi rebels were discussed. Goldberg had access to information shared by the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, two hours before the planned strike.
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Although the administration of President Donald Trump downplayed the incident, security experts, including Sipher, expressed deep concern. Sipher criticized the government’s reaction, which involved denying and attacking the journalist who exposed the matter.
Sipher said he thinks they treat national security like domestic politics, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.
Security issues
Experts also point to another serious issue. This involves the presence of a special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow at the time he was added to the chat. A former Pentagon official, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted potential security breaches related to using private phones during visits to Russia.
An anonymous source from PAP speculated on a worst-case scenario, suggesting the possibility that the item was taken to the Kremlin and left outside at their request. Alternatively, the source considered that it might have remained with him, allowing everything to be extracted from it while he was in conversation with Putin.
Although Signal is encrypted, there is a risk of hacking into the device, which would allow access to all data. Someone could read everything, regardless of the quality of encryption of individual apps, noted the source from PAP.
