Dark web listing provides insider access to Telegram’s servers for $20,000

The research team at SafetyDetective has uncovered a dark web listing claiming to provide insider access to Telegram’s servers.

Investigators spotted the ad on Nov. 16 on an underground marketplace that sells a variety of illegal goods, including counterfeit money, guns and credit card dumps.

In his post, the seller brags of offering access to information found on Telegram’s servers through a rogue employee, and promises to enable data exfiltration for six months.

This insider access doesn’t come cheap and is non-negotiable:

“Accessing telegram servers. I have access to the Telegram servers through my employees. I can get any information for you!

Expensive!
$20,000!
Do not write if you are financially unable to pay!

Hacking telegram is not possible! All information is taken from servers!
Timing 2-4 days!”

The threat actor said the listing does not offer remote access in any way.

“We provide an archive of correspondence for six months, alongside IP addresses belonging to active users and registration cell phone numbers,” the post reads.

The validity of the trader’s claims is very hard to confirm, according to SafetyDetectives researchers. They say sellers on the dark web are also known to scam the cybercriminal community.

“It isn’t easy to ascertain the legitimacy of this sales offer. Dark Web marketplaces are rife with scams and fraud, and in this case, the seller’s store, set with a location pin as San Francisco, California, has nothing more than a three-out-of-five star,” researchers said.

Malicious actors regularly exchange sensitive consumer information stolen from data breaches and cyberattacks. Although data breach victims can’t put a stop to this illegal trading of information, they can take proactive measures to limit potential damages and identity theft.

Check whether your personal info has been stolen or made public on the internet, with Bitdefender’s Digital Identity Protection. The dedicated identity protection service helps you stay on top of data breaches and privacy threats, with 24/7 monitoring and instant alerts whenever your personal information is at risk.