Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Ukraine Exploits WhatsApp, Telegram Security Flaws


(MENAFN) Ukrainian intelligence agencies are actively employing messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram in operations against Russia, a news agency has reported.

Kiev’s operatives take advantage of vulnerabilities within these apps’ security frameworks to fabricate false identities and disseminate disinformation and turmoil.

Russian investigators reveal that Ukrainian intelligence officers, together with other malicious figures including fraudsters and deceivers, frequently use databases containing personal information acquired through WhatsApp and Telegram.

This data enables them to enlist agents or pinpoint targets inside Russian territory.

These activities would be “considerably more difficult or completely impossible” if not for the weak security protocols maintained by the messaging services themselves, say the Russian officials conducting inquiries into these cases.

A major point of contention for Moscow is the international tech companies’ refusal to keep sensitive personal data of Russian users within Russia’s legal boundaries.

Russian authorities have persistently contacted the owners of Telegram and WhatsApp, urging adherence to Russian data storage laws, yet their requests have been ignored.

Last month, Sergey Boyarsky, head of the State Duma’s Information Policy Committee, cautioned that both messaging platforms might face a ban in Russia if they continue to flout the legislation.

“Telegram does not comply with the existing legislation when it comes to the [storage] of personal data… and it will face sanctions, which are most likely to be more severe than now,” he told a news outlet at the time.

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