The 404 Media Podcast: The Trump Admin's Signal Clone Was Hacked

Release Date: May 7, 2025

1. Introduction to the Story

In this episode of The 404 Media Podcast, hosts Joseph, Sam, Emmanuel, and Jason delve into a significant cybersecurity breach involving the Trump administration's use of a Signal clone developed by Telemessage. This hack has raised serious concerns about the security of sensitive communications within high-level government operations.

2. Background on Telemessage and Its Signal Clone

Emmanuel Mayberg introduces the primary story:

“[...] the Trump admin was using a Signal clone to communicate. This was made by a company called Telemessage.”
[02:00]

Joseph explains Telemessage's proposition:

“This is an ordinary version of Signal, a complete copy, except it does one thing, which is archive your messages... for legal and record-keeping purposes.”
[03:42]

Telemessage aimed to provide a secure messaging solution that also met regulatory requirements by archiving communications, a necessity for government agencies and regulated industries like finance and cryptocurrency.

3. The Hack: What Happened

The podcast details how the hack was uncovered:

Emmanuel recounts the discovery process:

“Last week you discovered via an image that Reuters took, that the Trump admin was using a signal clone to communicate... what happened on Sunday...”
[04:49]

Joseph describes the breach:

“A hacker had managed to breach Telemessage... they provided screenshots showing a TeleMessage backend with contact details for customs and border protection officials, Coinbase, and internal messages.”
[05:00]

The hacker claimed to have exploited a vulnerability in Telemessage’s system within 15 to 20 minutes, accessing sensitive data swiftly:

“It took them... 15 to 20 minutes to actually perform this hack... they provided screenshots of TeleMessage backend...”
[06:36]

4. Implications and Discussion

The hosts discuss the broader implications of the hack:

Emmanuel questions the vulnerability:

“... someone was like, oh, look at this thing that is in the news that seems important. I'm just going to poke around. And they poked around for 15 minutes and it was not secure.”
[08:10]

Jason Kebler highlights the seriousness:

“This is like monumental... this is a really, really bad hack...”
[17:47]

Joseph contrasts this with past security measures:

“Compare that to what happened with Obama’s BlackBerry... they had to design additions or modifications, it took months.”
[18:47]

5. Impact and Reactions

The aftermath of the hack sees Telemessage suspending operations, raising alarms about potential national security risks:

Joseph details the fallout:

“Telemessage suspends service... Senator Ron Wyden announced... he's demanding an investigation from the DOJ into this whole debacle...”
[23:39]

Emmanuel emphasizes the gravity regardless of the company's origin:

“...the administration knowingly was using a messaging app... based by a foreign company... It’s a crazy way to manage communication security.”
[25:59]

6. Second Hack: Global X Airline for Trump's Deportations

Shifting focus, the hosts discuss another breach involving Global X Air, a subcontractor for CSI Aviation, which handles deportation flights for ICE under the Trump administration.

Joseph introduces the second story:

“Global X Air was hacked... a hacker reached out to us and stole flight data...”
[30:00]

Jason Kebler explains the data's significance:

“It includes flight data for each flight... passenger lists with names, confirming deportations...”
[32:42]

The data breach offers unprecedented transparency into deportations, corroborating information from court cases and media reports:

“We cross-referenced names from court cases... confirmed their presence on these flights.”
[37:22]

Joseph underscores the authenticity of the hack:

“We increasingly get more confident... Sam flags another story... finding previously unknown names...”
[38:29]

7. Conclusion

The episode underscores critical vulnerabilities in government communication systems and the alarming ease with which sensitive data can be compromised. The simultaneous hacks of Telemessage and Global X Air highlight a potential surge in hacktivism targeting government-affiliated contractors.

Jason Kebler reflects on the political implications:

“...collaborating with this administration makes you a potential target for hackers... politically motivated hackers are looking into these companies...”
[42:55]

The hosts express concerns over the systemic approach to security within government operations and the potential for more extensive breaches in the future.

Notable Quotes

• Joseph on Telemessage's Security Claims:
  “We have a screenshot that is showing a Signal message. Basically. I don't think you can really combine those together.”
  [12:58]

• Jason on Anonymous Involvement:
  “They have the classic Anonymous taglines at the bottom of the defacement.”
  [35:18]

• Emmanuel on Signal’s Integrity:
  “Signal has nothing to do with this fuck up... Whoever did the procurement was like, we need to Signal, but we also need to archive everything...”
  [22:06]

Key Takeaways

• Security Flaws: Telemessage's Signal clone, intended for secure communication with archiving, was compromised within minutes, exposing sensitive government communications.

• Systemic Risks: The ease of the hack raises concerns about the overall security practices within government agencies, especially when integrating third-party services.

• Hacktivism Resurgence: The simultaneous breaches suggest a possible resurgence of hacktivist activities targeting government contractors.

• Impact on Privacy and Security: These hacks highlight the delicate balance between maintaining secure communications and adhering to regulatory archiving requirements.

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