Micah Lee

United States

Information Security Director at The Intercept

Bluesky: https://t.co/05y6hHtGHl Mastodon: https://t.co/JEOgh55jEM Signal: micah.01

Articles

How the Signal knockoff app TeleMessage got hacked in 20 minutes

1 month ago | threatbeat.com | Micah Lee

Skip to content NEW Security news and analysis brought to you by the McCrary Institute | READ MORE → By Micah Lee • May 19, 2025 During a recent cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump’s then national security adviser, Mike Waltz, must have been bored. Apparently unaware of the photographer behind him, he was caught clandestinely checking his Signal messages under the table.
How the Signal Knockoff App TeleMessage Got Hacked in 20 Minutes

1 month ago | technewstube.com | Micah Lee

Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
How the Signal Knockoff App TeleMessage Got Hacked in 20 Minutes

1 month ago | wired.com | Micah Lee

During a recent cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump’s then national security adviser, Mike Waltz, must have been bored. Apparently unaware of the photographer behind him, he was caught clandestinely checking his Signal messages under the table. Only he wasn’t using the official Signal app, which is widely considered to be the gold standard of encrypted messaging apps. He was actually using a clone of Signal called TeleMessage Signal, or TM SGNL.
The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked

1 month ago | micahflee.com | Micah Lee

š”I wrote this article with Joseph Cox. You can read the original at 404 Media. I'm also publishing it to my newsletter! If you find this interesting, subscribe to get these posts emailed directly to your inbox. If you want to support my work, considering becoming a paid supporter. A hacker has gained access to the Signal message archiving tool which Mike Waltz accidentally revealed to the world.
The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Joseph Cox |Micah Lee

6 hours ago'I Don't Know': Trump Unsure If He Needs To 'Uphold The Constitution' As PresidentPresident Donald Trump revealed that he was unsure if he needed to "uphold the Constitution" as president of the United States President Donald Trump …4 hours ago6 Products You Should Avoid Buying at Best BuyBest Buy may be your go-to place for a number of electronics, back-to-school supplies and other office-related goods, but you might not want to pick up everything on your shopping list there.
Here's the source code for the unofficial Signal app used by Trump officials

1 month ago | micahflee.com | Micah Lee

Yesterday, I published an analysis of what I could publicly find about TM SGNL, the obscure and unofficial Signal app used by Mike Waltz, and presumably also by Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and other fascists in Trump's government. Afterwards, someone privately sent me the URL https://www.telemessage.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Signal.zip. I downloaded Signal.zip and was excited to see that it's the Android source code for the app! I immediately started digging in.
Fight fascism and Elon Musk by taking down Tesla

Mar 3, 2025 | micahflee.com | Micah Lee

On paper, Elon Musk is the richest person in the world, but his money isn't just sitting in a bank account he can access. The bulk of it resides in his stake in Tesla, a wildly overvalued publicly traded company which he owns 13% of. If you're looking for a way to fight the fascist government takeover, Telsa Takedown is a great way to spend your time.
About Dangerzone

Apr 4, 2024 | dangerzone.rocks | Micah Lee

By Micah LeeHave you ever heard the computer security advice, “Don’t open attachments”? This is solid advice, but unfortunately for journalists, activists, and many other people, it’s impossible to follow. Imagine if you were a journalist and got an email from someone claiming to work for the Trump Organization with “Donald Trump tax returns.pdf” attached. Are you really going to reply saying, “Sorry, I don’t open attachments” and leave it at that?
Signal’s New Usernames Help Keep the Cops Out of Your Messages

Mar 4, 2024 | znetwork.org | Micah Lee

In October 2021, an assistant U.S. attorney issued a subpoena to Signal demanding that the messaging app hand over information about one of its users. Based on a phone number, the federal prosecutors were asking for the user’s name, address, correspondence, contacts, groups, and call records to assist with an FBI investigation.
Signal’s New Usernames Help Keep the Cops Out of Your Data

Mar 4, 2024 | theintercept.com | Micah Lee

In October 2021, an assistant U.S. attorney issued a subpoena to Signal demanding that the messaging app hand over information about one of its users. Based on a phone number, the federal prosecutors were asking for the user’s name, address, correspondence, contacts, groups, and call records to assist with an FBI investigation.