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Phone numbers of 1,900 users of encrypted messaging service Signal may have been revealed in phishing attack

Phone numbers of 1,900 users of encrypted messaging service Signal may have been revealed in phishing attack

Signal messaging app

In a phishing attack on Signal's verification services provider, the phone numbers of 1,900 users could have been revealed, according to the company.

Signal said in a blog post that the attacker could also have accessed the SMS verification code used to register with the company.

It released a statement saying, "An attacker could have attempted to re-register number to another device or learned that their number was registered to Signal."

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The attack is being investigated by Signal and Twilio Inc which counts over 256,000 businesses among its customers.

Following the change in WhatsApp's privacy policy, Signal saw huge upticks in downloads from Apple and Google’s app stores.

Signal gained thousands of users after it was touted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk for its end-to-end encryption that prevents any third party from viewing conversation content or listening in on calls.

In a bid to tightly control the flow of information, the Chinese Communist Party blocked the messaging app in the country last year.

Since 2014, Signal has been installed about 58.6 million times globally, according to mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

(With inputs from agencies)

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