Telegram: The New Breeding Ground for Cyber Criminals

The term Cybercrime is the most fledging affair of concern as it is constantly making its graph steeper day-by-day. A recent survey by a credible source has come up with an interesting report which states that "Telegram" has been the most preferred destination for the cyber criminals.

Launched on August 14, 2013, Telegram application is a free and open source, cross platform, cloud-based messaging software that also provides various facilities like end-to-end encrypted video call and IP telephony also can be said as voice calling method.

Lack of moderation or secured servers has attracted the cyber criminals from the dark web to use this messaging software for various criminal activities. According to a joint investigation by the renowned sources like Financial Times and Cyberint, the black hat hackers on the exchange of networks use the access to steal data from thousands of users at a single time.

Tal Samra a cybersecurity expert from Cyberint has stated that "There has been a high rise in the in usage of Telegram Application by the cybercriminals as it’s encrypted messaging service is becoming extensively popular with threat actors engaged in fraudulent activities and selling stolen data…since it is simpler to use than the dark web."

Telegram messaging application allows the user to set up chat rooms with up to 2 lakhs individuals, which has risen significantly during the lockdown period with almost about 500 million active users. In exploration of alternatives the consumers have randomly switched to Telegram, which in turn has created a strong database for the hackers.

On the other hand, vpnMentor, an organization on Internet Security published its report terming Telegram as a "Safe Harbour" for cyber criminals. The company also warned that "Cybercriminals are also flocking to Telegram to exchange and discuss big data leaks, exposing millions of users to unprecedented levels of online fraud, hacking, and attack."

Data including the name, e-mail address, home address, photographs, physical characteristics have been compromised and were made public by the hackers.