Don Bacon

Bacon first disclosed the breach during a cybersecurity conference in Washington on Wednesday, saying he had “just learned Russia hacked my Signal.” He later told Politico the attackers appeared to have posed as a trusted acquaintance to gain access to his account, a tactic consistent with spear phishing.

“It’s because they’re smart enough to know who my friends are,” Bacon said, adding that the FBI and House cybersecurity specialists remain engaged in the investigation.

The disclosure comes as federal cybersecurity agencies have warned of Russian-backed campaigns targeting current and former U.S. officials through Signal and other commercial messaging platforms.

“People think Signal’s secure — it’s not,” Bacon said.

The congressman noted that he has long avoided using his phone for sensitive communications because he has previously been targeted by foreign hackers. In 2023, Chinese state-linked hackers breached the email accounts of several U.S. officials, including Bacon, through vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s cloud email systems.

“I figure somebody’s always monitoring my phone,” Bacon said. “This has been my reality since about 2006.”

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Bacon has repeatedly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and advocated continued U.S. support for Ukraine. He recently broke ranks with Republicans and joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers voting to send $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia.