TL/DR –
An unknown person used artificial intelligence to impersonate U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Signal, contacting various domestic and foreign officials, according to a State Department cable. The department is investigating the incident, which resembled a May 2025 occurrence where someone impersonated other U.S. senior government officials. The news follows a related event, “Signalgate,” where journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat on Signal, which included Rubio and other high-ranking officials.
Unknown Actor Impersonates Marco Rubio through AI on Signal
An unidentified actor has reportedly used AI to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Signal, establishing communication with government and foreign officials, as per a State Department cable obtained by CBS News.
Phony Account Created Mid-June 2025
The message was dispatched to all Diplomatic and Consular Posts, informing them about the phony account which was reportedly created in mid-June 2025.
Impersonator Contacts US & Foreign Officials
As per the cable, the impersonator contacted at least five non-department officials, including three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a US congressman, leaving voice mails and text messages via Signal.
State Department Responds
The State Department has acknowledged the incident and is investigating the matter, with the aim of enhancing its cybersecurity strategies to prevent future incidents.
Alleged Imposter’s Objective
According to the cable, the impersonator aimed to manipulate targets using AI-generated text and voice messages for unauthorized access to information or accounts. The incident bears resemblance to a similar occurrence from May 2025.
Unrelated Cybersecurity Threat from April 2025
Another unrelated threat from April 2025 involved a Russia-linked cyber threat actor launching a spear-phishing campaign targeting think tank scholars, Eastern European-based activists and journalists, among others, posing as a fictitious State Department official.
Previous Incidents of Impersonation
Several instances of threat actors impersonating Department accounts have been reported in the past years.
Signalgate
This news follows “Signalgate” in March, when journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to a group chat on Signal that included Rubio and other officials. They discussed striking Houthi targets in Yemen. Waltz was later ousted due to the incident.
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