But, as Check Point has now clearly shown, despite this the problem has not been addressed. Such use of Telegram bots goes back years. Telegram’s install-base is also vast and growing quickly, enabling attackers “to use their mobile devices to access infected computers from almost any location globally.” “Telegram is a legitimate, easy-to-use and stable service that isn't blocked by enterprise anti-virus engines, nor by network management tools,” Check Point says.īeyond that, an attacker can easily create a new bot without disclosing identifying information, making attribution and interception much harder. Telegram brings several benefits to attackers and their campaigns-primarily that the platform is known and trusted and so will evade many defences. “Dozens of new types of Telegram-based malware, have been found as ‘off-the-shelf’ weapons in hacking tool repositories on GitHub.” But once a crafted email attachment is opened on a user’s Windows PC, the bundled Telegram bot manages the links back to the attacker’s command and control server, managing the attack.Īs Check Point says, “the popularity of Telegram-based malware aligned to the growing usage of the messaging service worldwide” has become a “growing trend,” a trend that’s getting ever worse.
The threats are sent to users through simple email campaigns. The malware itself is not spread by Telegram messages-which its why, as Check Point says, it doesn’t matter whether you have it installed or not. Telegram enabled cyber attack Check Point Even when Telegram is not installed or being used, it allows hackers to send malicious commands and operations remotely via the instant messaging app.” They can do anything-teach, play, search, broadcast, remind, connect, integrate with other services, or even pass commands to the Internet of Things.” Unfortunately, that’s not all those bots can do.Ĭheck Point, which also issued this new Telegram warning, says it has “tracked 130 cyber attacks that used malware managed over Telegram by attackers in the last three months.
It provides seemingly limitless groups and channels, and a range of other sophisticated features, including its own “bot platform.”Īs Telegram explains, “bots are simply Telegram accounts operated by software-not people-and they'll often have AI features. Its architecture now serves more than 500 million users, through a spider’s web of connected endpoints and its own cloud back-end.
Telegram is significantly more complex than its direct rivals, the likes of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal.
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