I cyber criminals use Telegram for years, because it’s encrypted and easy to access. But according to a recent survey conducted by the Financial Times and Cyberint cyber intelligence group, there has recently been “A 100 percent increase in the use of Telegram by cybercriminals”. And FT says the increase in criminal activity on the app came after users flooded into it following a change in WhatsApp’s privacy policy.
Cybercriminals are ramping up their activity on Telegram
WhatsApp, earlier this year, asked its users to accept a revised policy that allows them to share data with its parent company Facebook. Users were outraged and WhatsApp had to make it clear that it will not be able to read their private communications. Despite this, people have migrated to rivals that offer similar but more secure messaging capabilities. Among these would be Telegram, which apparently has seen an increase in criminal activity conducted through the app.
According to investigators, there is an ever-expanding network of hackers who share and sell data leaks in channels with tens of thousands of subscribers. The number of times “Email: pass” and “Combo” were reportedly mentioned in the app in the past year is reportedly quadrupled. Some databases circulating on the app contain from 300,000 to 600,000 email and password combinations. These credentials belong to gaming and email services. Cybercriminals also sell financial information, such as credit card numbers, passport copies, and hack tools via the app.
Tal Samra, Cyber Threat Analyst at Cyberint, explained: “Its encrypted messaging service is increasingly popular with threat actors. They conduct fraudulent activities and sell stolen data, as it is cheaper to use than the dark web ”. Aside from being more affordable than the dark web, Telegram also has less likely to be monitored by the authoritiesSamra said.
Telegram continues to monitor its platform
Telegram removed one of the channels where the massive datasets with combined emails and passwords are sold after FT informed the company. In a statement, Telegram also said it “has a policy for the removal of personal data shared without consent”. He also stated that he has “ever-growing strength of professional moderators” which they remove 10,000 public communities every day for violating its terms. Earlier this year, for example, those moderators had to monitor hundreds of channels following the attack on the United States Capitol.