GOP Rep. Don Bacon Says Russian Hackers Posed as Friend to Breach Signal Account

Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and one of Congress' most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, said Russian government-linked hackers recently compromised his Signal account after posing as a close acquaintance in what appears to have been a targeted phishing operation.

Bacon said that the breach occurred roughly four to five months ago and is under investigation by both the FBI and House cybersecurity officials. He said he was not concerned that classified information had been exposed because he does not use Signal to store or share sensitive material.

"It's because they're smart enough to know who my friends are," Bacon told POLITICO, describing how the attackers allegedly impersonated someone he knew in order to gain access to the encrypted messaging application.

Speaking at a cybersecurity conference in Washington, Bacon cautioned against assuming that encrypted platforms are immune from sophisticated attacks. "People think Signal's secure — it's not," he said.

The congressman, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's cyber subcommittee and plays a leading role in shaping cyber provisions in the annual defense policy bill, said investigators are still examining the incident.

The breach comes as U.S. intelligence and cybersecurity agencies have warned of Russian efforts to target Signal accounts belonging to current and former government officials. Earlier this year, Dutch intelligence authorities also reported a large-scale campaign in which Russian hackers impersonated support personnel to gain access to users' accounts.

Bacon has been a frequent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a vocal advocate for stronger U.S. support for Ukraine. Last week, he joined 17 other House Republicans and most Democrats in voting for legislation that would provide an additional $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia.

In a recent interview on CBS' Face the Nation, Bacon argued that President Donald Trump's approach toward the war has failed to produce results. "There's a good versus evil here," he said. "America should be unabashedly for the right side here."

Upon the latest incident, the Nebraska lawmaker noted that he has long assumed foreign adversaries may be monitoring his communications. In 2023, Chinese hackers were among those who gained access to emails belonging to Bacon and other U.S. officials through a vulnerability in Microsoft systems.

"I figure somebody's always monitoring my phone," Bacon said. "This has been my reality since about 2006."