By Juan Davalos
In March 2025, a significant security lapse occurred when National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a Signal group chat discussing imminent U.S. military operations in Yemen.
This incident, dubbed “Signalgate,” has sparked debate over whether the breach resulted from administrative errors or inherent vulnerabilities within the Signal messaging platform.
Signal’s official website states that the application is used for communication and is known for its end-to-end encryption, presenting itself as a secure platform for private conversations. Despite this, the app is not authorized to transmit non-public Department of Defense information.
According to a Pentagon memo dated March 18, 2025, reported by NPR, they warned against using Signal for official communications, citing multiple vulnerabilities, especially those linked to international hacking groups targeting the app’s “linked devices” feature.
Signal representative Jun Harada was quick to dismiss the interpretation of the Pentagon. They claim the vulnerabilities presented pertained to the user’s susceptibility to “phishing,” not their specific software, FOX 5 News reported.
“Once we learned users were being targeted and how they were being targeted, we introduced additional safeguards and in-app warnings to help protect people from falling victim to phishing attacks,” said Harada. “This work was completed months ago.”
Dr. Stephanie Tripp, a professor/journalist working in The University of Tampa’s communications department, said that as controversial as Signal may be, it is still the most secure communications network.
Tripp said what may need to change is how we approach its use.
“Signal offers encryption, which is great; it’s probably the best product out there. People I know who are experts tell me that,” said Tripp. “The problem is once it’s encrypted on your device, somebody can target that device to gain access to said information, and it also doesn’t protect against Stingrays attacks.”
Despite the claims of systemic Signal issues and its potential security risk, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accepted responsibility, stating he had no known connection to Goldberg but was uncertain how the journalist’s contact information entered his address book.
“Signal worked as designed, it’s clear for people who know and use Signal that when you let somebody on the channel, it says things like so and so are entering the channel, you know? It says ‘Please click here to accept.’ So, somebody did not do their due diligence,” said Tripp.
Government and public opinion to the immediate news prompted swift reactions. For example, Jack Reed, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the incident as “one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense,” in a recent interview with WSLS News.
Tripp said she believes that since there weren’t other precautions taken, that was the problem.
“I hope this doesn’t tarnish the reputation of end-to-end encryption because, in reality, the use of Signal is good,” said Tripp. “Journalists should learn how to use it, learn all the rules and everything it can and cannot do.”
In response, the Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s involvement in the incident. The probe aims to determine whether the policies regarding the use of commercial messaging apps for official communications were violated.
Currently, the “Signalgate” incident appears to stem primarily from administrative missteps rather than intrinsic flaws within the platform, as the inadvertent inclusion of a journalist points to lapses in contact management and improper use of communication tools.
However, the Pentagon’s advisory does highlight the risks, emphasizing the necessity for heightened vigilance and adherence to the established protocols.
“It seems this administration is focused on doing things differently. Right? So, this is different in that sense,” said Tripp. “It does not surprise me, but I hope we are not witnessing a future trend.”
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Photo courtesy of Mika Baumeister, via Unsplash.