TeleMessage, an Israeli-developed messaging app, has suspended all services after a hacker reportedly accessed internal data. The app’s parent company, Smarsh, said it is investigating the incident and has hired an outside cybersecurity firm to help.
“We acted quickly to contain it and engaged an external cybersecurity firm to support our investigation,” a Smarsh spokesperson said Monday. “Out of an abundance of caution, all TeleMessage services have been temporarily suspended.”
TeleMessage is known as a clone version of the Signal app. However, unlike Signal, which provides end-to-end encryption and does not store message histories, TeleMessage enables organizations to store encrypted messages for compliance purposes, including archiving and legal review.
The app came under scrutiny last week after a photo from a Cabinet meeting showed former national security adviser Mike Waltz using it to view what appeared to be Signal messages. Waltz had previously caused concern after accidentally adding a journalist to a Signal group chat discussing military strikes in Yemen, which led to his removal as national security adviser.
TeleMessage creates modified versions of Signal/WhatsApp/Telegram that archive messages for gov agencies.
Recently made headlines when National Security Advisor Waltz was photographed using it. pic.twitter.com/9YNlguGU7O
— Matt Johansen (@mattjay) May 5, 2025
Someone claiming to be the hacker told NBC News that he accessed data from TeleMessage’s server, including contact information for employees at the cryptocurrency firm Coinbase. The alleged hacker also said that he has not yet reviewed all the stolen data, and it remains unclear whether it includes government conversations.
In response to the breach, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stopped using TeleMessage. “CBP immediately disabled TeleMessage as a precautionary measure,” said a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. “The investigation into the scope of the breach is ongoing.”
The National Security Council has yet to comment on Waltz’s use of TeleMessage.
