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The Pentagon’s ‘Signalgate’ report just dropped

Earlier this year, the Signal encrypted messaging app appeared prominently in the news, largely because Defense Department officials added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a secret Signal group chat. In this chat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed detailed bombing plans in Yemen.

Following an eight-month-long investigation into the incident, the Pentagon’s inspector general has released a report detailing the series of events that led to publication of the messages in The Atlantic. Hegseth spokesman Sean Parnell’s statement said the report represented a “total exoneration” of the secretary. Yet the report itself said Hegseth did not comply with the department’s prohibitions on using “a personal device for official business” when sending defense information that has not been released to the public. Read more.

What you can do

  • Use secure channels when possible. We often suggest Signal to journalists as an easy way to have much more secure conversations. If you’re just getting started, check out our guide for beginners, and if you already use it, check out our guide to locking down Signal.
  • Check who’s in the room before speaking. This is a teachable moment: As the ‘Signalgate’ saga suggests, just like any other messaging app, you do have to be mindful of who you’re adding to your group chat. Likewise, the larger a group is, the more likely it is that someone unfamiliar is in the chat. End-to-end encryption can only help if everyone in the conversation and their devices are trustworthy to you.
  • Keep those devices up to date. If your device is compromised with malware, so are your messages. Read my colleague David Huerta’s writeup on the story inside your software updates.

Our team is always ready to assist journalists with digital security concerns. Reach out here, and stay safe and secure out there.

Best,
Martin

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Martin Shelton
Deputy Director of Digital Security
Freedom of the Press Foundation