How not to become a victim of hacking in Telegram: advice from the Ministry of Digital Affairs
Kyiv • UNN
The Ministry of Digital Affairs spoke about common scams in Telegram and provided recommendations on how to protect your account from phishing attacks and protect personal data.
More than 70% of calls to the digital security hotline Nadiyno.org are related to cases of fraud in Telegram. This was reported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and gave advice on how not to become a victim of a phishing attack, reports UNN.
The agency stressed that even if an account in Telegram does not contain sensitive information, it can be used to attack other users after hacking.
The main goals of fraudsters:
- Financial gain: attackers may contact your contacts asking for urgent money transfers or blackmail you if they find sensitive information.
- Compromising contacts: a stolen account is used to spread phishing links or malware among your friends.
- Access to confidential information: passwords, bank details, personal documents or corporate data may be stolen and used for further attacks.
One of the dangerous methods of account theft is interception of SMS codes. This technique is complex, but it can be used against journalists, activists, politicians and other public figures.
Another risk is malware. So-called alternative Telegram clients, which promise additional features, may contain viruses that give fraudsters access not only to the account, but also to the entire device.
Your own Telegram account can and should be protected, the Ministry of Digital Development emphasized.
To do this, you need to:
- enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for additional protection;
- do not follow suspicious links and do not download third-party applications;
- regularly check active sessions in Telegram settings and log out of unknown devices;
- avoid using SMS for authorization, preferring passwords and two-factor authentication.
As noted by the Ministry of Digital Development, the main way to compromise accounts in Telegram is phishing attacks. Fraudsters use social engineering methods and technical techniques to deceive users. In addition, they use OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) to collect information about potential victims and create personalized attacks.
Cybersecurity in Ukraine: how to protect your funds from fraudsters?12.03.25, 14:20 • 242636 views
Reminder
In August 2024, the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was detained at a Paris airport. He was accused of deliberately failing to moderate illegal content in the messenger. The court released Durov on bail of 5 million euros, and he was later allowed to leave France.
