UAE and France Hacked Telegram CEO Durov’s iPhone in 2017: WSJ
Joint Operation "Purple Music" Targeted Durov Over Concerns About Islamic State Recruitment
UAE and French Intelligence Hacked Telegram Founder Durov’s iPhone in 2017: WSJ
French and United Arab Emirates intelligence agencies hacked Telegram founder Pavel Duro’s iPhone in 2017, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
The joint intelligence operation code, dubbed “Purple Music,” grew out of concerns about Islamic State’s Telegram, a private messaging app, recruiting and planning attacks — and came years before Durov’s sudden arrest in Paris over the weekend.
France is making a “long-term effort” to “compromise Telegram,” the WSJ quoted an unnamed former French intelligence official as saying.
It was unclear from the WSJ’s report whether French President Emmanuel Macron knew about the hack and whether spies were accessing Dureau’s phone through a backdoor.
The newspaper said there was no indication Saturday that Duro was in custody for hacking his phone.
Politico reported on Tuesday that Macron was early adopter of Telegram, while French officials were frustrated by the app’s reluctance to cooperate.
Durov, 39, was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday on suspicion of 12 counts of failing to control criminal content on Telegram.
He is scheduled to learn Wednesday whether he will face charges and be held in custody.
