Even as Internet users operate amid the fear of their privacy being hacked, latest research by cybersecurity researchers into the Telegram app has shown that its private data of millions of people is being openly shared in the app’s groups and channels with thousands of members.
The VPN provider vpnMentor’s investigations highlighted Telegram’s position as a safe haven for cybercriminals, when it found that cybercriminals are using the popular encrypted communications platform to share and discuss massive data leaks that expose millions of people to unprecedented levels of online fraud, hacking and attack.
Meanwhile, a recent similar investigation by NortonLifeLock discovered evidence of a thriving illegal marketplace on Telegram where unscrupulous users marketed many things that ranged from even Covid-19 vaccines and personal information to pirated software and fake IDs.
In a detailed report by the vpnMentor researchers who examined the growing trend of cybercriminals sharing leaked data on Telegram, the research team highlighted its joining several cybercrime-focused Telegram groups and channels to experience for themselves the illicit exchanges occurring on the dark web.
The researchers were shocked to discover hackers openly posting data dumps on channels — of which some comprised over 10,000 members, while unscrupulous users unhesitatingly participated in discussions on how to exploit the data dumps in various criminal enterprises.
However, while these data dumps are being normally exchanged over the dark web, Telegram offers several advantages, including its focus on protecting the privacy of its members, vpnMentor stated, adding that, compared to the dark web, the app offered a lower barrier of entry, besides immunity against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and web takedowns that threaten the operations of cybercriminal outfits on the normal web.
