Suspected Crime Gang Hacks Israeli President’s Telegram Account

A crime-related entity recently gained access to the Telegram account of Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

While there is no confirmation as to who got access to the account, a statement from the president’s residence said the hack appeared to be criminal in nature and related to an online scam, suggesting it was neither carried out by a hostile country or organization, nor tied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A statement published by the Times of Israel from the president’s office said the breach was closed, “and the account has returned to normal operation.”

A spokesperson for Herzog said access to the channel was “very swiftly” restored and “initial checks show no concern that information was obtained,” reported Barron’s. The incident is being investigated by Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet.

Israel does not feature among the top national users of the app. However, access to encrypted options is slowly being restricted, with some countries blocking access over fears of extremist groups using Telegram.