THE article discusses recent spear-phishing campaigns by state-sponsored hackers targeting EU officials via popular messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp instead of traditional email. This trend is significant as many officials are more trusting of these apps, often leading to successful attacks without malware. In 2026, eight notable incidents were reported in which attackers impersonated app support teams, acquiring sensitive information through social engineering tactics.
While the EU is working on improving cybersecurity measures, including developing in-house messaging solutions, challenges remain as even secure apps can be vulnerable to breaches.