Earlier this week TeleMessage, the company that creates modified versions of messaging apps like Signal and adds an archiving ability to them, made a video private on its YouTube channel that explained how its Signal message archiving tool worked, and how the company says it is able to copy messages securely. The hiding of the video came after 404 Media revealed that a hacker had targeted TeleMessage, which is used by the Trump administration, and managed to obtain the contents of some users’ messages and group chats.
404 Media made a transcript of what this video said and is now publishing it in order to preserve TeleMessage’s claims around the security and functioning of its Signal archiving product. The news comes after Senator Ron Wyden has demanded a Department of Justice investigation into the TeleMessage episode, including the national security risk the app poses. The letter demanding the investigation also points to TeleMessage’s marketing material which claims messages are protected with end-to-end encryption, a claim that both the hack and a subsequent technical analysis refute.
The video said TeleMessage’s app keeps “intact the Signal security and end-to-end encryption when communicating with other Signal users.” This is not true, judging by the fact the hacker was able to obtain plaintext Signal messages. The video also says “The only difference is the TeleMessage version captures all incoming and outgoing Signal messages for archiving purposes.”
404 Media originally embedded this video into our article first showing that then-U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was using the TeleMessage tool. That embed now says “This video is private.” TeleMessage’s YouTube channel still includes videos about its Telegram, WeChat, and WhatsApp archiving tools.
In the demonstration video, the company shows copies of Signal messages in what appears to be an ordinary Gmail account. The video says the Gmail is for the “demo” and that TeleMessage works with other archiving platforms.
Smarsh, the parent company of TeleMessage, did not respond to a request for comment. The company has not responded to any of 404 Media’s requests for comment, except a LinkedIn message from TeleMessage CEO Guy Levit at the time of the hack who directed the request to a Smarsh press representative.
The news also comes after Micah Lee, the journalist and security researcher who worked with 404 Media on breaking news of the hack, published a more indepth analysis of TeleMessage’s Signal clone which shows the company does not archive messages as securely as it has claimed in marketing material.
NBC News reported on Monday that a second hacker targeted TeleMessage too. TeleMessage suspended service after the hacks.
The transcript of the video follows below:
Hello and welcome to TeleMessage’s Signal Archiver introduction. In this video we will demonstrate how organizations can archive the Signal communication of their employees, thereby increasing productivity and satisfaction in today’s innovative mobile environment, all the while remaining compliant with regulations.
TeleMessage can capture and archive any Signal message and attachment, including images, videos and audio clips, as well as message deletions. Our Signal Archiver version supports iOS and Android phones on corporate or BYOD employee-owned devices, as well as the desktop version. In short, with TeleMessage, employees can keep using the standard Signal application while supporting full company archival and retrieval of all messages.
Let’s get started with our demo.
In this demo we will use two phones, an Android smartphone on the right and an iPhone on the left. Both phones have the TeleMessage archiver installed, enabling full archival search and retrieval. TeleMessage’s Signal Archiver is identical to the regular Signal application that you can download from Google Play or App Store. We keep intact the Signal security and end-to-end encryption when communicating with other Signal users. The only difference is the TeleMessage version captures all incoming and outgoing Signal messages for archiving purposes.
We’ll start by tapping the Signal Archiver icon on the two phones and, as you see, the standard Signal chat interface is displayed. We now share a series of messages, emojis and attachments which are received and responded to. We also create groups and again share messages and attachments.
Now let’s see how these chats appear in the archive.
TeleMessage is integrated with numerous archiving platforms. For this demo we will display the messages in a simple Gmail web interface. The inherent robust capabilities in the TeleMessage Signal archive router fully captures message and employee metadata, making search and filter queries intuitive and friendly. In this demonstration, we have shown how TeleMessage’s Signal Archiver looks, feels, and acts just like the original and offers a full range of archiving features and compliance with relevant judicial and regulatory requirements.
Let us take care of your Signal archiving and recording requirements. Our platform supports compliance, workflow efficiency, risk mitigation, and peace of mind. For more information, please contact us at info at telemessage.com or visit our website.
