The issue that caused a stir in the US was the revelation that a journalist was added to a top-secret war chat. It has now been revealed by a German magazine that the personal information of several top US security advisers has surfaced online. This includes the mobile phone numbers, email addresses, and in some instances, even passwords of key officials such as National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

The leaked data was reportedly accessed through commercial data search services and hacked information that was dumped online. However, the exact age of the data remains unclear.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic editor-in-chief, was accidentally added to a private group chat that included several high-ranking Trump officials, including Vice President J D Vance, Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

The conversation allegedly discussed a planned military strike against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, raising concerns over the handling of classified information within the administration. President Trump later defended Hegseth, dismissing the issue as a witch-hunt.

Some of the exposed contact information was reportedly linked to accounts on platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn, as well as cloud storage services such as Dropbox. Reportedly, Hegseth’s mobile number and email address were easily accessible via a commercial contact provider, with the email address being found in more than 20 data breaches. It was noted that this email had been active until just a few days ago. Additionally, the mobile number was tied to a WhatsApp account that appeared to have been deleted shortly after the leak.

Meanwhile, Gabbard’s and Waltz’s phone numbers were reportedly associated with accounts on WhatsApp and Signal, which could potentially expose them to spyware. 

As per reports, the National Security Council stated that Waltz’s accounts and passwords, which were mentioned in the leak, had been changed back in 2019.