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Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

404media.co

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Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#31

Post by sorcerer-mar »

ezst wrote: post #27
sorcerer-mar wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes a lot more sense if you don't assume from the start these people have one iota of intellectual horsepower. Signal is approved for government uses, just not non-public DOD information. They're supposed to use Signal for something like "hey, get to a SCIF so we can discuss details," then they discuss the details in a secure environment.

> Signal is approved for government use [Ref. needed]

Approved for government use: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/guidance-mo...

Not approved for non-public DOD information: https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/Memo-...

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#32

Post by fiddlerwoaroof »

ezst wrote: post #27
sorcerer-mar wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes a lot more sense if you don't assume from the start these people have one iota of intellectual horsepower. Signal is approved for government uses, just not non-public DOD information. They're supposed to use Signal for something like "hey, get to a SCIF so we can discuss details," then they discuss the details in a secure environment.

> Signal is approved for government use [Ref. needed]

From last year after Salt Typhoon became public:

> Adopt a free messaging application for secure communications that guarantees end-to-end encryption, such as Signal or similar apps. CISA recommends an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that is compatible with both iPhone and Android operating systems, allowing for text message interoperability across platforms.

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/guidance-mo...

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#33

Post by IG_Semmelweiss »

>>> overnment agencies have paid for versions of encrypted messaging apps that also have archive abilities before. In 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) paid encrypted app company Wickr $700,000.

This seems like a perfect use case to support Signal. Have large, corporate or govt entities, pay for a custom fork of the app, built by the app developers themselves.

Why is telemessage getting the money ? Does the Signal Foundation not make it easy to do paid fork implementations ?

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#34

Post by sumeno »

_heimdall wrote: post #28
sumeno wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was not built by the government and it's not some secret software, it's off the shelf software by an Israeli company.

I didn't catch this in the article here. Is that well known elsewhere?

> But the message is slightly different: it asks Waltz to verify his “TM SGNL PIN.” This is not the message that is displayed on an official version of Signal.

> Instead TM SGNL appears to refer to a piece of software from a company called TeleMessage which makes clones of popular messaging apps but adds an archiving capability to each of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeleMessage

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#35

Post by jmathai »

denkmoon wrote: post #6
mmastrac wrote: post #4

> TM SGNL appears to refer to a piece of software from a company called TeleMessage which makes clones of popular messaging apps but adds an archiving capability to each of them

Crikey that's terrifying. Not even a US company either.

FTA, fwiw: "404 Media found numerous U.S. government contracts that mention TeleMessage specifically. One for around $90,000 from December 2024 says “Telemessage (a Smarsh Co.) Licenses for Text Message Archiving, & WhatsApp and Signal Licenses.”"

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#36

Post by grg0 »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #17

“On Thursday Reuters published a photograph of Waltz checking his mobile phone during a cabinet meeting held by Donald Trump. The screen appears to show messages from various top level government officials, including JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marco Rubio.” Head of NatSec, ladies and gentlemen. Once the domain of Kissinger, Brzezinski, Powell and Rice. Now with the opsec of a brain-damaged cocaine dealer.

Pin is 1234.

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#37

Post by cwillu »

cge wrote: post #14

As some details: TeleMessage is/was an Israeli company [1], but was acquired last year by Smarsh [2], itself a subsidiary of K1 Investment Management, both US companies. It me whether the company moved. While not necessarily related at all, their terms of service also seem to explain specific arrangements for messaging in China that appear to involve disclosures to the Chinese government. It's unclear to me how the a…

> breaking the E2E encryption

E2E doesn't mean what I think you think it means; specifically, it has nothing to do with what the intended recipient (or their software) does with the message.

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#38

Post by sterlind »

fluidcruft wrote: post #19
cge wrote: post #14

As some details: TeleMessage is/was an Israeli company [1], but was acquired last year by Smarsh [2], itself a subsidiary of K1 Investment Management, both US companies. It me whether the company moved. While not necessarily related at all, their terms of service also seem to explain specific arrangements for messaging in China that appear to involve disclosures to the Chinese government. It's unclear to me how the a…

Just wondering... if you work for a company and your employer provides you with modified GPL software, it's not considered distributed to you in ways that GPL would apply (so you are not free to further distribute it). At least that's how GPLv2 used to be explained as as business friendly--"private" modifications remain private and employees are not considered exterbal distribution. I'm not familiar with AGPL though.

if your company itself modified the GPL software, you can't demand the modified source code from your boss. if your company purchased modified GPL software from a third party vendor, your company's legal department could force the vendor to cough up the source code.

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#39

Post by cge »

cwillu wrote: post #37
cge wrote: post #14

As some details: TeleMessage is/was an Israeli company [1], but was acquired last year by Smarsh [2], itself a subsidiary of K1 Investment Management, both US companies. It me whether the company moved. While not necessarily related at all, their terms of service also seem to explain specific arrangements for messaging in China that appear to involve disclosures to the Chinese government. It's unclear to me how the a…

> breaking the E2E encryption E2E doesn't mean what I think you think it means; specifically, it has nothing to do with what the intended recipient (or their software) does with the message.

That very much depends on who is running the archive system, and how it is implemented.

But more generally, your point is why I mentioned "unless the archive is considered an end and the connection to it is secure."

Re: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals App Govt Uses to Archive Signal Messages

#40

Post by Den_VR »

sorcerer-mar wrote: post #31
ezst wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Signal is approved for government use [Ref. needed]

Approved for government use: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/guidance-mo... Not approved for non-public DOD information: https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/Memo-...

Guidance from CISA (an agency within the Department of Homeland Security) does not translate to an Approval for DOD.

The DOD memo does not supersede other DOD instructions referenced by the memo requiring RMF and NIAP things.

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