Telegram has become the new darknet for cybercriminals inspite of strict moderation by the company.
The Financial Times has published an investigation that was carried out in conjunction with the cyber threat company Cyberint. Journalists have discovered a growing network of hackers on Telegram who are sharing data obtained through leaks. Sometimes they are published through channels with tens of thousands of subscribers. The FT emphasized that in many ways such content resembles the one that is usually present on the darknet.
Cyberint analyst Tal Samra said that there was an increase in the activity of cybercriminals on Telegram by more than 100%. For example, the number of mentions of the phrases "Email: pass" and "Combo" increased 4 times, to 3400. For hackers, these terms mean access to stolen email addresses or passwords.
The number of links to Telegram groups and channels that are distributed on the darknet last year was about 172,000, and in 2021 it exceeded 1 million. Hackers can sell or distribute hundreds of thousands of leaked usernames, logins and their passwords via Telegram. Cybercriminals can also trade in credit card and bank account data, copies of passports, malware, and hacking instructions.