Mike Waltz's Venmo account is public: Another security concern after Signal leak?

U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz leaves his Venmo account public

Amid the fiasco over Yemen war chat 'leak', US President Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz faces a new blunder, seems to have committed a blunder by leaving his Venmo friends list public.

An account named "Michael Waltz" — bearing a profile picture of Waltz — included a public 328-person friend list reported Wired. The list of his friends included a mix of journalists and Trump administration colleagues, such as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and National Security Council staffer Walker Barrett.

The public profiles were not limited to Waltz. Both Wiles and Barrett also had their Venmo accounts set to public. However, after Wired reached out to the White House for comment, both accounts were made private.

Additionally, National Security Council senior staffer Brian McCormack also had his Venmo account public. McCormack is reportedly part of the Yemen chat group involved in the previous controversy.

Apparently, Mike Waltz also took 'full responsibility' for adding The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jefferey Goldberg to the Signal group chat in which officials allegedly discussed plans to strike Houthi terrorists in Yemen.

Venmo privacy blunder: Trump's administration sparks new controversy

It is common to have a Venmo account; however, why has Mike Waltz been scrutinized over this issue?

Along with the high-profile names, Waltz's friend list had many ordinary people too.

These individuals, often low-level connections, are the types of people spies target for basic information, such as a doctor revealing details about an illness. In security terms, experts refer to them as "soft targets"—individuals who have access to valuable information but lack adequate protection.

Tara Lemieux, a 35-year veteran of the US intelligence community including the National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and supporting agencies, spoke to Wired she said, “Public transactions on Venmo might appear harmless, but foreign intelligence services — particularly signals intelligence agencies — look for patterns: who’s paying whom, how often, and when."

“Say they’re making payments to their children — now you have a point of leverage. If there’s someone out there looking to target you, they can use that information and start making you feel fearful for the safety of your children.”

Mike Yeagley, a specialist in commercial data and its security risks, also spoke of the dangers of a public Venmo account in the same Wired report. “What’s the risk of someone at the Cabinet level using Venmo to pay their personal trainer? On the surface, it doesn’t look like much.

“But now I know who that trainer is — or the gardener, or whoever — and suddenly I’ve expanded my ability to target by identifying the people around that official.”

The questions have also been raised on Waltz’s capabilities and judgement.

What is Venmo?

Venmo is an American mobile payment system founded in 2009 and acquired by PayPal in 2013. It allows users to pay, split bills, shop, and more. By default, Venmo makes every payment and its description public, a feature that can expose personal information that should remain private.

Additionally, Venmo offers a "friends" feature, enabling users to interact with others' profiles more easily.

In 2021 BuzzFeed reporters found out former US President Joe Biden's Venmo account with ease. After which Venmo rolled out the feature of allowing people to make their friends lists private or decide who can see them.