Earlier today, it was reported that Jeff Bezos’s phone was hacked via a WhatsApp message. The malicious file was probably sent via the message, which in turn downloaded large amounts of data from Bezos’ phone onto the author’s device. The message was sent by none other than Mohammed Bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Bin Salman denies Jeff Bezos’ phone was hacked by him
However, he denied having hacked Jeff Bezo’s phone later on. The two had reportedly been speaking and were on friendly terms. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jeff trusted the sender enough to open the infected file. It shouldn’t be surprising to anybody that the infected file was a video. Videos are some of the most common files on WhatsApp and other chat messengers. They are also most likely to act as carriers of malware.
UN calls for an intensive investigation into the hacking attempt
There is, of course, a very dark history behind this recent finding. The hacking took place in 2018 when Bezos had expressed his discomfort over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Amazon’s CEO had always suspected Saudi Arabia’s hand in the hacking attempt, as many of his personal details were linked in major newspapers. For instance, National Enquirer leaked Bezos’ extramarital affair sometimes when the phone was purportedly hacked.
The matter has now escalated so much that even the United Nations has called for an investigation into the hacking. UN experts believe the Saudi prince hacked Bezos’ phone in order to silence The Washington Post’s reporting on Khashoggi’s murder. The forensic analysis clearly points towards the Saudi prince’s involvement, but his officials have brushed away the accusation as being nonsensical. The matter has riled foreign governments, UN officials, and CEOs of major tech companies.
Saudi Arabia denies all accusations and calls them bizarre
The Saudi Embassy tweeted just a while ago that accusations linking the Saudi Kingdom to the hacking of Bezos’ phone are absurd. The account went as far as to call for an investigation. However, the investigations already seem to have taken place, and the forensic evidence clearly places the responsibility on the crown prince. This is a developing story and will raise many questions about security.
