US Offers $10 Million Bounty for Russian State Hackers as Messaging App Attacks Evolve

The US government is offering up to $10 million for information on two Russian state-sponsored hacking groups that have been targeting government officials, military personnel, journalists, and political figures through sophisticated phishing campaigns on messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp. The hackers, tracked as UNC5792 and UNC4221 and linked to Russian intelligence services, pose as app support accounts to steal verification codes and are now also requesting Backup Recovery Keys, which can grant them access to victims' accounts even after password changes. CISA and the FBI warn that compromised users must generate new recovery keys to fully secure their accounts, though hackers may have already accessed historical conversations.