Telegram’s biggest advantage over other competing messaging apps (especially WhatsApp) is its total commitment to user privacy. The Russian app makes it especially difficult to locate its members, which, in addition to attracting ordinary people who care about the security of their information, is also very attractive to all kinds of organizations or users dedicated to illegal activities.
We can be talking about piracy, but also about darker activities such as stealing information, creating scams or preparing cyberattacks. While we already knew that Telegram was becoming a meeting place for this type of personalities, a new report from the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky confirms this trend: cybercriminals have increased their presence by 53% in May-June 2024 compared to last year.
What has increased is the number of messages related to illegal activities, such as tutorials for hacking or stealing data, distribution of illegal content or preparation of coordinated attacks.
The element that best explains this trend is the utility of Telegram channels: these massive chat groups allow hundreds of people to join together, and both finding and joining them is very easy. In these channels, certain hackers can become ‘influencers’ in their niche, gathering other hacktivists or cybercriminals to carry out scams or spread information about them. These channels can be very useful for, for example, coordinating DDoS attacks, which are more efficient the more computers participate.
It is also possible to find chats about how to create or earn money with fake services or fraud, manage cash or falsify documents, among others. In addition, as if it were a deep web forum, Telegram is also becoming the place to distribute data packets stolen through cyberattacks on companies or organizations.
Piracy is also a big problem for the app, which is why a Spanish judge tried to block Telegram across the country last March, an order that was later overturned by the National Court. It was a complaint from Mediaset, Atresmedia and Movistar that led to this order, which they wanted to use to try to end the distribution of copyright-protected content.
Privacy, a double-edged sword
Designing secure and private applications or tools that, unlike the most popular big tech services, collect as little data as possible from users, can be positive for people to safeguard their privacy. However, the Telegram case exemplifies how, unfortunately, services of this type can become an aid for criminals, who will use them to extend their activities without being tracked by the authorities.
Telegram, with over 900 million users worldwide, is one of the most popular messaging apps, so it’s no surprise that its massive ecosystem can also contain some bad apples. It’s a curious app, but no more so than its founder, Pavel Durov, whose name we’ve seen in the headlines recently after revealing that he has fathered more than 100 biological children through sperm donation.
