National Security Advisor Michael Waltz looks at his phone as he prepares for a TV interview at the White House on May 01, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images
The messaging app that President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor was seen using during a Cabinet meeting last week is temporarily suspending services following a reported hack, its parent company said Monday.
“TeleMessage is investigating a potential security incident,” a spokesperson for Smarsh, which runs the app, told CNBC in a statement. “Upon detection, we acted quickly to contain it and engaged an external cybersecurity firm to support our investigation.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, all TeleMessage services have been temporarily suspended. All other Smarsh products and services remain fully operational,” the spokesperson said.
The potential hack of TeleMessage, an Israel-founded app that acts as a modified version of the encrypted messenger Signal, was first reported Sunday by the tech news site 404 Media.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the temporary suspension of TeleMessage services.
Trump’s then-national security advisor, Mike Waltz, was photographed with TeleMessage open on his phone during a Cabinet meeting last Wednesday.
Trump had previously discouraged officials in his administration from using Signal in the wake of the leak controversy dubbed “Signalgate,” when Waltz accidentally added a journalist to a private discussion of pending military plans.
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