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404 Media Reports TeleMessage App Used By Trump’s National Security Advisor Was Hacked
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The independent tech website 404 Media shared a report on Sunday revealing that a hacker breached the app TeleMessage, which provides a modified version of Signal to U.S. government officials, and stole data.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- A 404 Media report revealed that TeleMessage has been hacked.
- High-ranking officials in the United States use the app to communicate, raising concerns over national security.
- The hacker got access to sensitive information in archived chats, including names, passwords, and phone numbers from government officials.
President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, was recently involved in a security scandal after reports showed that he used TeleMessage to share sensitive information. The breaches raise concerns over the use of the app for official communications and national security.
According to 404 Media , TeleMessage, an app designed by an Israeli company that also offers alternatives to WhatsApp and WeChat, does not provide end-to-end encrypted chat logs. An anonymous hacker was able to access archived chats from high-ranking officials, sensitive backend information, and data from the financial institutions, including cryptocurrency company Coinbase.
The tech news site got access to screenshots shared by the hacker. The programmer managed to get names, phone numbers, usernames, and passwords from government officials—and was able to use them to log in to the TeleMessage platform.
“I would say the whole process took about 15-20 minutes,” said the hacker to 404 Media, suggesting also that they could have accessed more data if they wanted to. “It wasn’t much effort at all.”
404 Media explained that the hacker didn’t get access to Waltz’s message, the person responsible for the recent data breach in the U.S. government, called “Signalgate” for the platform’s resemblance to the App Signal, this time.
Last week, a few days after it was revealed that Waltz added reporter Jeffrey Goldberg to a TeleMessage group where officials shared private information about American airstrikes in Yemen, Trump appointed Waltz as ambassador to the United Nations and made Marco Rubio the interim national security adviser.
Experts warn of growing concerns over data management within the Trump administration, including Elon Musk’s DOGE access to the government’s IT systems , and this new report from 404 Media adds to the current distress surrounding the security of official communication platforms.
Photo by Mati Flo on Unsplash
Skype Shuts Down Today, Users Have Until January 2026 To Export Data
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The communication platform Skype, owned by Microsoft, officially shuts down today, May 5, after 22 years on the market. Users will no longer be able to use the platform to connect with friends and acquaintances, but they have until January 2026 to recover and export their Skype chat data.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Skype shuts down after 22 years on the market, affecting free and paid users.
- Users can recover data through Microsoft Teams and will be able to export it until January 2026.
- Microsoft is encouraging people to join Teams and get access to similar features
Microsoft announced in February that it would retire Skype—launched in 2003—and end support for the platform this week. The tech giant, which acquired Skype in 2011, has encouraged users to switch to its Teams platform, which offers similar features and allows users to access their Skype data.
“In May 2025, Skype will be retired,” stated the document. “Skype users will have the option to move to Microsoft Teams Free, which offers many of the same core features and more.”
Users who don’t want to use Teams but still want access to their Skype data—and haven’t exported their information yet—can do so through Microsoft Teams until January 2026.
This has been a frequently asked question, recently clarified by official advisors in the Microsoft Community forum and updated this past Sunday.
“You can migrate your Skype data to Microsoft Teams Free after May 5th, 2025. Your Skype data will be available until January 2026 for you to export or delete,” wrote independent advisor John Jefferson Doyon. “Just keep in mind that while your Skype data will remain accessible in Teams Free until January 2026, Skype itself will stop working gradually after May 5, 2025.”
Users can still chat with other Skype users through Teams Free by logging in with their Skype credentials, but this feature is rolling out gradually and may not be available to all users yet.
The change affects both paid and free users. Microsoft announced that many features—such as Skype Credit, Skype Number, and the Skype Dial Pad—will no longer be renewed or extended within Skype. Only Skype for Business will continue temporarily.
According to Al Jazeera , the decision comes after Skype lost popularity to other communication platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, despite having reached over 300 million users in 2010. Last year, Skype was used to distribute a dangerous RAT malware and served as a tool in cyberattacks .
