Using Device Linking to Eavesdrop on WhatsApp and Signal

Law enforcement in Germany's Customs Office is exploiting a feature in messaging apps that allows users to link their phone accounts to their computer desktop. This feature, used in apps like WhatsApp Web and Signal Desktop, enables users to access their accounts on other devices such as laptops or desktop computers. By connecting a police-controlled computer to a suspect's account, authorities can receive messages without having to decrypt them. This method allows police to bypass the encryption protecting the messages. Police can gain access to a suspect's account in this way, although the exact methods used are not fully detailed.