Federal Office responsible Ensure network security Biden-era documents show that at all levels, the administration believes that using encrypted messaging application signals is the “best practice” for the “most targeted” government officials.
Fox News Digital Discovery Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) outlined in its guidance on federal employees late last year, the platform encrypts officials such as signals to better protect foreign enemy hackers in cyber vulnerabilities linked to China. CISA is an office under the Department of Homeland Security’s umbrella, which ensures cybersecurity at all levels of government.
According to Biden administration’s leadership in 2024 Officials or politicians They “may have information that is of interest to these threat actors.” The document is specifically targeted at high-target politicians and officials, although the guide “applicable to all audiences.”
“CISA strongly urges highly targeted individuals to immediately review and apply the following best practices to protect mobile communications. Highly targeted individuals should assume that all communications between mobile devices, including government and personal devices, and Internet services are at risk of interception or manipulation. There is no single solution to eliminate all risks, eliminating all best implementations of these best implementations, thereby providing sensitive protection of governments and other behaviors and gradually being subject to attitudes of behavior.
The document, published in December, details the topic targeted by government officials should use “end-to-end encrypted communication” as part of their “best practice” recommendations. End-to-end encryption is understood as a secure communication method in which the sender’s message is encrypted and can only be decrypted by the receiver of the message.
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The signals are end-to-end encryption and are available for free through the digital app store. (Artur widak/nurphoto via Getty image)
The CISA guidelines specifically cite government officials who should download the “end-to-end encrypted communication” platform to their phones and computers, especially with signals as applications to download to conform to best practices.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were held at the White House on February 24. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
“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. Such apps may also offer clients for MacOS, Windows, and Linux, and sometimes the web. These apps typically support one-on-one text chats, group chats with up to 1,000 participants, and encrypted voice and video calls. Additionally, they may include features like disappearing messages and images,” he said.
A signal is an encrypted messaging application that operates similarly to texting or making a phone call, but employs other security measures that help ensure that communications keep communication privately private with communication in the communication.
Signals have become increasingly popular over the past few months as China-linked hackers target U.S. mobile phone data, including those belonging to the president Donald Trump Politico reported this week that during the campaign, JD Vance vice president.
President Donald Trump was on the South Lawn of the White House before he landed on the Marines in Washington on February 28, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The CISA Guide notes: “CISA is publishing this best practice guide to promote protection against mobile communication protections that are exploited by PRC affiliates and other malicious threat actors.”
Fox News Digital contacted CISA for additional comments or information about signal usage among government employees, but did not receive an immediate response.
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The guide was released before the Trump administration was slammed by Democrats and other critics, which was revealed, and national security officials discussed a planned strike against Yemen’s anti-terrorists in a signaling group chat, which also included the Atlantic editor-in-chief.
The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg, who was first-hand account read in the Signal Group Chat Monday after adding to the chain with senior federal officials on March 13, extended from Defense Secretary Pete Pete Hegseth to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Trump Susie Susie Willes.
The Atlantic report sparked condemnation from Democratic lawmakers who used apps to communicate planned attacks on Yemeni-Iran-backed Houthi terrorists, blasting the Trump administration for risking national security.
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Jeffrey Goldberg (Getty image of Jemal Countess/Atlantic)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday morning to hold an annual hearing on the global threat facing the United States and also barbecue the Signal Group chat.
The CIA head confirmed that he participated in a group chat including the Atlantic editor-in-chief, adding that the signal had been downloaded on his computer when he was sworn in January and that the app was a long communication platform for government employees extending to the Biden administration.
President Trump and former President Biden (Winning McNamee/Pool | Getty Images via Reuters)
“When I was identified as a CIA director, the signal was the first thing that loaded on my computer on my computer, because most CIA officials were briefed to me early on, and Senator Senator was the CIA record manager who used the signal for allowed work purposes.”
“This is what happened before the current administration goes to the Biden administration,” he continued.
A former Biden national security official confirmed to the Associated Press that a previous government uses a signal if employees are allowed to download the app on their White House management phone. The report said staff were told that it was rarely used.
President Donald Trump spoke at the Oval Office in the White House on March 7, 2025. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“My understanding is Biden gives medicine Authorization signals are a means of communication that aligns with their administration’s presidential record keeping requirements and continues to enter the Trump administration.
The Biden administration, according to a 2023 Defense Department memorandum, said that although the signal has been used by government officials in certain ways, they cannot use the platform to “access, transmit, process non-public DOD information.” The Ministry of Defense issued CISA’s signal-related guidelines after guidance.
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The Trump administration defended the group chat, saying it did not include sensitive information and that the Atlantic story “is nothing more than part of the North Sith’s institutional community that has run the same, tired gameplay since the past few years”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X on Tuesday that “no classification material has been sent to threads” and “no “war plan” discussed.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung slammed the Atlantic in an X post Tuesday afternoon, as an example of “anti-Trump forces” trying to “sell misinformation.”
“From Russia, Russia, Russia’s first semester scam to the forged document cases in the past four years…the anti-Trump forces in turn try to weaponize innocent actions and turn them into false anger that fake news media can be used to peddler misunderstandings.”
Trump told NBC News on Tuesday that a staff member of the Waltz office included journalists in a high-profile group chat, but did not disclose the staff’s identity or whether the individual would face disciplinary action.
“This is one of the guys Michael is on the phone. An employee had his phone number there.” Trump tells NBC News In a phone interview when asked how to add Goldberg to a high-profile chat.
Trump commented to Fox News earlier Tuesday and in an NBC interview.
“He was not fired,” Trump told Waltz’s Fox News. The president said the incident was a “mistake”, although there was no “significance” in the signal text thread.
“Michael Waltz taught a lesson, he’s a good guy,” Trump said in an NBC interview.
The president added that Goldberg’s inclusion in group chats was “no impact at all” in Yemen’s strike.
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About 10 years after the signal group text leak, news came out that the then country Hillary Clinton used a private email server for official government communications.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to make other comments on the signal chat leak, but did not receive an immediate reply.
