Attacks combine traditional phishing and fake login pages to harvest credentials.
Researchers have observed a growing trend of threat actors exploiting Telegram's Bot API to covertly exfiltrate sensitive data from high-value organisations and government entities.
According to reports, the attacks combine traditional phishing with legitimate messaging platforms, as well as using fake login pages to harvest credentials that are then transmitted directly to attacker-controlled Telegram bots.
Analysis of these campaigns noted JavaScript-based credential interception embedded in authentic-looking HTML interfaces that mirror trusted portals.
Researchers stress that using Telegram as a communication channel allows attackers to bypass conventional security controls, as data flows through encrypted, legitimate infrastructure.
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
