Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone 'hacked by Saudi crown prince'
Exclusive: investigation suggests Washington Post owner was targeted five months before murder of Jamal Khashoggi
The Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone "hacked" in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message that had apparently been sent from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, sources have told the Guardian.
The encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated the phone of the world's richest man, according to the results of a digital forensic analysis.
This analysis found it "highly probable" that the intrusion into the phone was triggered by an infected video file sent from the account of the Saudi heir to Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post.
The two men had been having a seemingly friendly WhatsApp exchange when, on 1 May of that year, the unsolicited file was sent, according to sources who spoke to the Guardian on the condition of anonymity.
Large amounts of data were exfiltrated from Bezos's phone within hours, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Guardian has no knowledge of what was taken from the phone or how it was used.
The extraordinary revelation that the future king of Saudi Arabia may have had a personal involvement in the targeting of the American founder of Amazon will send shockwaves from Wall Street to Silicon Valley.
Previously: Saudi Arabia's Government Allegedly Hacked Into Jeff Bezos's Phone
Related Stories
Saudis gained access to Amazon CEO Bezos' phone: Bezos' security chief
The security chief for Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said on Saturday that the Saudi government had access to Bezos' phone and gained private information from it.
Gavin De Becker, a longtime security consultant, said he had concluded his investigation into the publication in January of leaked text messages between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor who the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper [had] said Bezos was dating.
Last month, Bezos accused the newspaper's owner of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to Sanchez unless he said in public that the tabloid's reporting on him was not politically motivated.
Also at The Daily Beast.
Previously: Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of Blackmail
The Story Behind the Instant Classic “Bezos Exposes Pecker” Headline
Israeli Spyware Maker Is in Spotlight Amid Reports of Wide Abuses
Data leaked to a consortium of news organizations suggests that several countries use Pegasus, a powerful cyberespionage tool, to spy on rights activists, dissidents and journalists.
A major Israeli cyber-surveillance company, NSO Group, came under heightened scrutiny Sunday after an international alliance of news outlets reported that governments used its software to target journalists, dissidents and opposition politicians.
The Israeli government also faced renewed international pressure for allowing the company to do business with authoritarian regimes that use the spyware for purposes that go far afield of the company's stated aim: targeting terrorists and criminals.
[...] The allegations may escalate concerns that the Israeli government has abetted government abuses by granting NSO an export license to sell software to countries that use it to suppress dissent.
The accounts, published by The Washington Post and an alliance of 16 other international news outlets, follow recent reporting by The [New York] Times that Israel permitted NSO to do business with Saudi Arabia, and encouraged it to keep doing so even after the Saudi government was implicated in the 2018 assassination of a Saudi journalist and dissident, Jamal Khashoggi.
Pegasus: The new global weapon for silencing journalists
Also at Business Insider, The Hill, The Verge, and Al Jazeera.
Related: Israeli Firm NSO Linked to WhatsApp Hack, Faces Lawsuit Backed by Amnesty International
Saudi Crown Prince's WhatsApp Account Reportedly Used to Hack Jeff Bezos
The Great iPwn -- Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage 'Zero-Click' Exploit
The U.S. Blacklists Makers of Cops' Favorite iPhone Hacking Tool:
NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance firm whose spyware has been peddled to authoritarian governments around the world, has been sanctioned by the U.S. Commerce Department. The new restrictions, which the agency announced in a press release Wednesday, will limit the degree to which American companies can provide parts or services to NSO—a decision that could seriously hobble the vendor's business.
NSO is best known for its commercial malware "Pegasus," a product that can infiltrate smartphones and silently pilfer their contents—from text messages to voice calls to photos. The company also sells a creepy "zero-click" exploit, the likes of which apparently requires no phishing and is said to take advantage of security flaws inherent in iPhones and Android devices to compromise them. In September, it was reported that some 1.65 billion Apple devices had been vulnerable to NSO's malware for a period of several months.
See also: US Cuts Off Pegasus Developer: What You Need To Know About This Spyware
Previously: Israeli Firm NSO Linked to WhatsApp Hack, Faces Lawsuit Backed by Amnesty International
Saudi Crown Prince's WhatsApp Account Reportedly Used to Hack Jeff Bezos
The Great iPwn -- Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage 'Zero-Click' Exploit
Israeli Spyware Maker Is in Spotlight Amid Reports of Wide Abuses
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday January 22 2020, @10:52PM (8 children)
UN experts demand US inquiry into Jeff Bezos Saudi hacking claims [theguardian.com]
Ok, let the "How dares UN to demand something from US?" reactions flow (grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Wednesday January 22 2020, @11:11PM (1 child)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/22/jeff-bezos-un-calls-for-investigation-into-alleged-saudi-hack [theguardian.com]
I get a call for an investigation, but a moratorium on the global sale and transfer of private surveillance technology? What, they mean like Facebook? Or the surreptitious use of surveillance technology and / or technology specifically targeted to that audience? Which I already assume is illegal in most places.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday January 22 2020, @11:20PM
They are probably referring to something like this (see bolded):
Israeli Firm NSO Linked to WhatsApp Hack, Faces Lawsuit Backed by Amnesty International [soylentnews.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:04AM
When the MSM talks about "experts", you know an appeal to authority is coming.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday January 23 2020, @03:46AM (3 children)
The first thing that comes to my mind hearing this is: false flag. If you can hack Jeff Bezos' account, you can probably pwn the Saudi Prince's account first and use it to do the Bezos hacking.
The second thing that comes to mind is: state actors, who would want to get Bezos/Trump pissed at the Saudis? Israel is almost too obvious, maybe Iran?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 23 2020, @09:42AM
Unless there has been a major earthquake in the diplomatic/strategic underground, I feel one can discount Israel as the possible perpetrator [wikipedia.org] - too many common enemies.
I also doubt that Iran could have the sophistication needed to carry a false-flag internet hacking operation without any trace.
Turkey would be a candidate, it was very vocal during the Khashoggi affair and seemed to knew a lot about Saudis movements during that time (which perhaps suggest a certain level of technical aptitudes); but beat me if I can understand what interest Turkey had/have (aside from trying to save face in a case of a political assassination on its soil they couldn't stop).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:10PM (1 child)
OK, but neither Israel nor Iran killed Kashoggi. I'd agree that it may be possible that some other entity was responsible. If so, I'd expect Saudi Arabia to fully cooperate in understanding how the hack occurred / be able to provide a degree of information which would clear itself. Otherwise, maybe the cigar is in fact a cigar.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Thursday January 23 2020, @04:30PM
Like Trump and the Senate are fully cooperating in understanding how the impeachment issues are moot and Trump should be cleared of all charges... yeah, right after he voluntarily releases his income tax statements. On this and many other points the Saudis and Trump have a great deal in common.
I just don't understand the people who vote for lack of transparency in government... is it like: they know how ignorant they are and they want to be absolved of any responsibility for what goes on?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @11:58PM
Investigate Bozo instead! [twitter.com]
(Score: 5, Interesting) by NickM on Wednesday January 22 2020, @11:17PM (2 children)
<lunatic-conspiracy>
Trump asked Bin Salman for dirt on Bezos in exchange for the future war on Iran
</lunatic-conspiracy>
I a master of typographic, grammatical and miscellaneous errors !
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:11AM (1 child)
The wrapper did not include the subject line “It is Trump’s plan”. Is that to be taken as a non-lunatic conspiracy or simply a sane opinion?
(Score: 2) by NickM on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:20AM
I a master of typographic, grammatical and miscellaneous errors !
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:10AM (9 children)
I'm impressed that a news organization with such a limited budget could break such a significant story. Congratulations!
(Score: 4, Funny) by takyon on Thursday January 23 2020, @12:16AM
It's a blockquote exclusive™.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @01:38AM (1 child)
More details are out there on the WWW. Wired has an overview with some additional links.
I'm just amazed that Bezos aparently used a normal iphone. Wouldn't he have a security staff that customized or booby-trapped his phone against attacks?
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @02:26AM
I would have thought that fucker would be eating his own dogfood in form of a fire phone.
(Score: 3, Funny) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday January 23 2020, @01:51AM (5 children)
Limited budget?
It's right there on the front page:
That's a lot of money.
(Score: 4, Funny) by khallow on Thursday January 23 2020, @03:58AM (4 children)
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday January 23 2020, @07:17PM (3 children)
Selective assassinations? Oh.
Should I hide under the desk?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday January 24 2020, @05:19AM (2 children)
Is that where SN's crack sniper squad expects to find you? After they drink the beer money, that is.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Friday January 24 2020, @08:00AM (1 child)
Hey! I've got beer.
Come on over boys.
(Score: 2, Funny) by khallow on Friday January 24 2020, @05:36PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @01:45AM (1 child)
Jake Tapper :
https://mobile.twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1219797229755650048 [twitter.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday January 23 2020, @02:21AM
Bad to the bonesaw.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:30AM
I hope he can isolate the code. I guess it's Iphoney? Perhaps he could release it on some cloud somewhere?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:40AM
I don't get it. Why scare quotes around hacked? Isn't exploiting a video player and datadumping hacking and cracking by every modern definition?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:44AM (2 children)
if he has so much money?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @07:52AM (1 child)
You kidding? You haven't checked the cocaine prices lately, have you?
If I had bezos' money, I'd move closer to the source too.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @06:06PM
Your last purchase was cocaine. Would you like to buy more cocaine? Of course you do. Here is a list of merchants...