Kaspersky: Cyber Crime Activities On Telegram Soared 53 Percent

JAKARTA - The Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence team revealed a troubling trend, where cybercriminals are increasingly using Telegram as a platform for underground market activity.

Based on the results of its analysis, the global cybersecurity company said that cybercriminals are actively operating channels and groups on Telegram dedicated to discussing fraudulent schemes.

Not only that, they also discussed schemes to distribute leaked databases, and trade various criminal services, such as disbursement of funds, document falsification, DDoS attack services, and more.

According to Kaspersky's Digital Footprint Intelligence data, the volume of such posts jumped 53 percent in May-June 2024 compared to the same period last year.

According to Alexei Bannikov, analyst at Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence, the increased interest in Telegram from the cybercriminal community was driven by several factors, the most important of which was due to the popularity of this instant messaging service.

"Secondly, this is marketed as the safest and independent sender of messages that do not collect any user data, thus providing a sense of security and impunity for threat actors," Alexei added.

In addition, finding or creating communities on Telegram is relatively easy, and combined with other factors, allows for various channels, including cybercriminals' channels, to quickly collect audiences.

Another analyzed trend is, where Telegram appears as a platform where various hackers make statements and express their views.

Due to its extensive user base and fast content distribution through the Telegram channel, hackers consider this platform an easy-to-use tool to trigger DDoS attacks and other destructive methods against targeted infrastructure," Alexei noted.