The Polish Government has urged civil servants and officials to ditch encrypted messaging app Signal for state-run alternatives, as foreign-linked hackers have stepped up attacks on government accounts on the platform.
“National-level Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) are continuously identifying and analysing phishing campaigns conducted by technically sophisticated APT groups linked to the intelligence services of hostile states,” reads an official recommendation signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski.
According to the Polish Government, the hackers have aimed to seize control of Signal accounts by impersonating the app’s technical support staff and tricking users into clicking malicious links under the pretence of an account suspension.
The document warned that such tactics posed a direct threat to the confidentiality of government communications.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs has recommended two nationally operated systems.
As alternatives, the document points officials toward two state-managed platforms: mSzyfr, an encrypted messaging app launched earlier this year and run by Poland’s national research institute NASK for secure official communications, and SKR-Z, a classified network physically isolated from the internet and designed for handling restricted and NATO-graded information.
Both systems operate entirely under Polish jurisdiction, with infrastructure hosted on Polish soil, according to the document.
In case the shift is not possible the polish governement publishes guidelines or best practices.
Officials are warned never to click links in unexpected SMS messages or emails, never to share SMS verification codes or PINs with anyone, and to remember that Signal’s customer support team never contacts users directly through the app.
QR codes should only be scanned using Signal itself, as attackers have been exploiting alternative scanning methods to link attacker-controlled devices to victims’ accounts, gaining silent access to private chats, group conversations and message histories.
The recommendation also urges officials to regularly audit the list of devices linked to their Signal account, enable the “Registration Lock” feature for additional login protection, and configure privacy settings to hide their phone number in favour of a unique username.
The move by Poland mirrors a broader European trend toward digital sovereignty in government communications.
France is switching from Windows to Linux’s operating system on ministries’ workstations and the Dutch Government is adopting STACKIT, a German cloud provider, to reduce its reliance on US technology firms.
