Using Telegram Monitoring to Enhance Your Attack Surface Management

For several years illicit actors have been switching from the dark web to Telegram. One of the reasons for this change is that several dark web forums have been shut down by law enforcement. With fewer marketplaces to offer their goods and services, online criminals were forced to look for new platforms to reach their customers.

Telegram is a chat app that is similar to WhatsApp but offers more privacy, since users can choose to hide their phone number. This platform also makes it easier to bring people together, as creating and populating a new chat group can be done in a few clicks. Because of this the bar is set low for people to get into the groups and see the various offers for goods and services, as Telegram is a well-known app and groups are promoted on various platforms. Due to its anonymity and popularity amongst illicit actors, organisations struggle with potential (illegal) distribution of (fake) goods and insider threats to their brand.

A positive element to the shift to Telegram is that this application is easier to monitor for illegal activities. Real-time monitoring of various (public) groups can help organisations rapidly detect data breaches or malicious campaigns being set up. Knowing where and in which context your organisation is mentioned on Telegram allows cyber security professionals to take an adequate and timely countermeasure.

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