Telegram has exposed database containing the sensitive info of millions of its users on the darknet through data leakage. A database of Telegram users phone numbers and unique user IDs has been posted on a darknet forum.
It s unclear exactly how many users’ data was leaked while the database file is about 900 megabytes. 70% of leaked accounts came from Iran, while the remaining 30% were based in Russia.
The issue was first reported by Russian-language tech publication Kod.ru on Tuesday. Telegram has acknowledged the data leakage to Kod.ru. While, Telegram declared that at least 60% of the database is outdated.
This is not the first time Telegram users’ phone numbers being leaked. Back in August 2019, Hong Kong users reported on a vulnerability that exposed their phone numbers, allowing Chinese law enforcement agencies to track protesters’ identities.
In response to the vulnerability, in September 2019 Telegram introduced a feature allowing users to show their phone number to nobody at all.
