BERLIN: In an alarming breach of privacy, personal data belonging to top security advisers to US President Donald Trump has been exposed online. The leaked information includes phone numbers, email addresses, and even passwords for key officials like National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
The sensitive information was reportedly made available through commercial data-search services and hacked data dumps. In many cases, the phone numbers and email addresses, which appear to be current, were linked to popular platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and location-tracking apps. Additionally, the contact information for Gabbard and Waltz was tied to messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal, raising concerns about potential spyware infections on their devices.
The leak comes on the heels of a major security scare involving a Signal group chat. On March 15, Waltz accidentally included The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a highly sensitive conversation about US plans for air strikes on Yemen’s Huthi rebels. This breach of confidentiality led to the publication of the chat’s details by The Atlantic, further exposing the security risks faced by these top officials.
Der Spiegel also noted that this data breach left the three officials vulnerable to possible espionage, with foreign agents potentially having access to their personal communications. However, the officials did not respond to requests for comment from the magazine.
The National Security Council did address the matter, clarifying that the accounts and passwords referenced in the report were updated and changed in 2019. Despite these efforts to secure the information, the breach raises questions about the ongoing risks faced by high-ranking officials in the digital age.
