What happened in the Telegram data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In August 2016, Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app known for its strong security features, experienced a data breach. An Iranian hacking group called Rocket Kitten was responsible for the incident. The breach led to the exposure of personal details of Telegram users on darknet forums, with the majority of affected accounts related to users in Iran and Russia. The vulnerability in the app's built-in contact export feature was believed to be the cause of the breach.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach compromised data of approximately 15 million users.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, phone numbers, user IDs, and associated contact lists.
How was Telegram hacked?
Rocket Kitten exploited a vulnerability in Telegram's built-in contact export feature to expose personal details of users on darknet forums. The hackers used this feature, intended for user registration, to access sensitive information such as phone numbers and unique user IDs.
Telegram's solution
In response to the hack, Telegram took several measures to enhance its platform security and prevent future incidents. Although specific actions were not detailed in the available sources, Telegram's existing security features include end-to-end encryption, secure cookies, HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) enforcement, strong SSL algorithms, strong Diffie-Hellman primes used in key exchanges, and strong public certificate key lengths. These security measures demonstrate Telegram's commitment to protecting user data and maintaining a secure messaging environment.
How do I know if I was affected?
Telegram has not explicitly mentioned reaching out to affected users in the available sources. If you're a Telegram user and concerned about your account's security, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials have been compromised in this or any other data breach.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account and any other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
For more specific help and instructions related to Telegram's data breach, please contact Telegram support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Telegram data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Telegram data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In August 2016, Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app known for its strong security features, experienced a data breach. An Iranian hacking group called Rocket Kitten was responsible for the incident. The breach led to the exposure of personal details of Telegram users on darknet forums, with the majority of affected accounts related to users in Iran and Russia. The vulnerability in the app's built-in contact export feature was believed to be the cause of the breach.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach compromised data of approximately 15 million users.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, phone numbers, user IDs, and associated contact lists.
How was Telegram hacked?
Rocket Kitten exploited a vulnerability in Telegram's built-in contact export feature to expose personal details of users on darknet forums. The hackers used this feature, intended for user registration, to access sensitive information such as phone numbers and unique user IDs.
Telegram's solution
In response to the hack, Telegram took several measures to enhance its platform security and prevent future incidents. Although specific actions were not detailed in the available sources, Telegram's existing security features include end-to-end encryption, secure cookies, HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) enforcement, strong SSL algorithms, strong Diffie-Hellman primes used in key exchanges, and strong public certificate key lengths. These security measures demonstrate Telegram's commitment to protecting user data and maintaining a secure messaging environment.
How do I know if I was affected?
Telegram has not explicitly mentioned reaching out to affected users in the available sources. If you're a Telegram user and concerned about your account's security, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials have been compromised in this or any other data breach.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account and any other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
For more specific help and instructions related to Telegram's data breach, please contact Telegram support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Telegram data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Telegram data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In August 2016, Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app known for its strong security features, experienced a data breach. An Iranian hacking group called Rocket Kitten was responsible for the incident. The breach led to the exposure of personal details of Telegram users on darknet forums, with the majority of affected accounts related to users in Iran and Russia. The vulnerability in the app's built-in contact export feature was believed to be the cause of the breach.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach compromised data of approximately 15 million users.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, phone numbers, user IDs, and associated contact lists.
How was Telegram hacked?
Rocket Kitten exploited a vulnerability in Telegram's built-in contact export feature to expose personal details of users on darknet forums. The hackers used this feature, intended for user registration, to access sensitive information such as phone numbers and unique user IDs.
Telegram's solution
In response to the hack, Telegram took several measures to enhance its platform security and prevent future incidents. Although specific actions were not detailed in the available sources, Telegram's existing security features include end-to-end encryption, secure cookies, HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) enforcement, strong SSL algorithms, strong Diffie-Hellman primes used in key exchanges, and strong public certificate key lengths. These security measures demonstrate Telegram's commitment to protecting user data and maintaining a secure messaging environment.
How do I know if I was affected?
Telegram has not explicitly mentioned reaching out to affected users in the available sources. If you're a Telegram user and concerned about your account's security, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials have been compromised in this or any other data breach.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account and any other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
For more specific help and instructions related to Telegram's data breach, please contact Telegram support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Telegram data breach, check out the following news articles:
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