Telegram founder warns of new cyber abuse method - 'takedown extortion'

Pavel Durov says cybercriminals are exploiting platform moderation systems through 'takedown extortion', putting legitimate online communities across social platforms at risk

Pavel Durov, founder of peer-to-peer messaging app Telegram, warned of an emerging form of cyber-enabled abuse known as ‘takedown extortion’ on Thursday. According to him, cybercriminals use this method to target legitimate online communities by exploiting platform moderation systems.

 

“The tactics used by takedown extortionists are evolving, putting communities across social platforms at risk. If an app used by more than a billion people can be removed from the App Store without prior warning, any app can be,” Durov said.

 

These attackers use automated accounts to insert illegal content in public groups and then report it to the operators of the platform to trigger an enforcement action against the targeted communities.

 

 

“In an instance, the attacker allegedly exploited the message editing feature by modifying an older message with illegal content, making it effectively invisible to group members and preventing timely community reporting,” Telegram said.