New hacker attack in Telegram mobile app targets Ukrainian users

Ukrainian users of the popular Telegram messenger have begun receiving malicious messages from hackers. This is stated by influential Ukrainian media fact-checkers Detector Media and Nota Enota. The messages refer to a bot that allegedly finds hidden data and photos of people and writes manipulative messages: «There is information about you. See for yourself. » If you click on the link, there will be another link, clicking on which the user loses their account forever and gives hackers full access to it. It is noteworthy that malicious spam resembles a kind of «happiness letter»: after the account is hacked, a message about the bot is sent to five of the user’s friends in personal dialogs on behalf of the user.

According to NotaRacco’s fact-checkers, phishing attacks were initially widespread on Facebook during public or major religious holidays. Users received messages from their friends signed in Latin «Tse ty na video,» thought it was a joke or a prank, clicked on the link and became victims of cyber fraud. Now, this type of malicious activity is being observed in mobile applications.

This is not the first time that Telegram has been the target of cyber fraud or questionable cryptocurrency activity. As a reminder, Russia is using this messenger to collect cryptocurrency to support its military aggression against Ukraine and circumvent US sanctions. According to a report by TRM Labs, between February 24 and the end of September 2022, $ 400,000 in cryptocurrency was raised in this way. The money was used to finance military exercises near the Ukrainian border, support collaborators and traitors to Ukraine, and purchase thermal imaging equipment and radar stations.