CYBER RISK FEBRUARY 13, 2018 / 10:33 AM / UPDATED 11 MINUTES AGO

Telegram app was targeted by crypto mining malware, Kaspersky Lab says

Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Previously undetected malware directed at users of the desktop version of the messaging app Telegram has been discovered by the Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab, Kaspersky said on Tuesday.

The malicious software has been used to target Russian users since March 2017, Kaspersky said in a statement. It was designed to trick users of Telegram’s desktop computer software into enlisting their machines to mine cryptocurrencies like Monero and Zcash.

Telegram ranks as the world’s ninth most popular mobile messaging app and expects to hit 200 million users during the first quarter of 2018, according to a recent white paper by the company. Only its desktop computer version was targeted.

The malware exploited a feature that allows its messaging software to recognize Arabic and Hebrew language text, which is read right to left.

By using a hidden character in the feature that reversed the order of the characters, the attackers could rename a file, triggering the installation of the malware. Examples of the malicious software were only found in Russia, Kaspersky said.

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