Daily Fantasy Sports Platform at Heart of Hegseth’s Signalgate Scandal

A National Security Fumble

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth landed in hot water with the “Signalgate” scandal, sparked by his use of a personal phone to share sensitive U.S. military plans on Signal. In March 2025, Hegseth accidentally sent Yemen strike details to a chat including The Atlantic’s editor.

He also shared similar intel in a private Signal group with his wife, brother, and lawyer. The big issue? That same phone number was tied to public sites, including the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) platform Sleeper.com, exposing a massive cybersecurity gap.

Hegseth joined Sleeper.com in August 2024 under “PeteHegseth,” three months before his Pentagon role, with his wife’s number linked soon after.

This number, used for sensitive Signal chats, also appeared on WhatsApp, Facebook, Airbnb, Microsoft Teams, and a Google Maps account with public reviews for plumbers and dentists.

Fantasy Football Meets Cyber Risks

The Sleeper.com connection highlights poor “cybersecurity hygiene,”. Hegseth’s personal phone, used for DFS and casual reviews, was a prime target for spyware like Pegasus, with experts saying there’s “zero percent chance” it wasn’t hacked. Personal devices lack the protections of government-issued phones, making them easy prey for phishing or malware.

By linking his number to public platforms, Hegseth created a digital breadcrumb trail that adversaries could follow. Signal’s encryption didn’t help when the phone itself was exposed.

Federal rules bar personal devices for sensitive work, especially for someone like Hegseth, among the top five espionage targets globally.

His phone’s ties to Sleeper.com and other sites violated strict Pentagon protocols. The Defense Department’s secure systems, like the Secure Internet Protocol Router Network, are built for classified data, not commercial apps. Hegseth’s unsecured “dirty” internet line for Signal use further raised alarms.