Russian zero-day seller is offering up to $4 million for Telegram exploits

Operation Zero, a company that achieves and sells the Russian government and local Russian companies exclusively zero-day, Announced Thursday It is looking for exploitation for the popular messaging app telegram and willing to offer up to $ 4 million for them.

The exploitation broker is offering up to $ 500,000 for absorbing a “one-click” remote code execution (RCE); Up to $ 1.5 million for zero-checn RCE absorption; And up to $ 4 million for a “complete chain” of absorption, probably a series of bugs that allow hackers to go from access to any target telegram on their entire operating system or device.

Zero-day companies like Operation Zero develop or acquire security vulnerability in popular operating systems and applications and then re-sell them for more prices. The company is especially popular with both Russia and Ukraine users considering the messaging app, meaning focusing on the telegram.

The Russian Government-Public Price Tag, the priority of the exploitation broker customers, gives a rare glimpse of the priorities within the zero-day market, especially in Russia, a country and cybersic security market often spread with privacy.

It is not unusual for exploitation brokers to advertise that they are looking for bugs on specific applications or systems when they know that there is timely demand. This means it is possible that the Russian government has told Operation Zero that it is looking for telegram bugs, which basically encouraged the broker to publish and offers higher money because it knows that it could charge the Russian government more for them.

Operation Zero’s chief executive, Sergey, did not respond to the request for the Jeleniak TechCrunch comment.

Zero day Unknown to software or hardware manufacturers that make their exploitation particularly valuable in the growing industry of brokers – and those who want to buy them – because it gives hackers a better opportunity to exploit the target technology or the goal is able to do a lot about it.

Is an RCE Defect Because it allows hackers to take control of an application or operating system from a distance. Zero The target will not require any interaction against the phishing attack, for example, these bugs have made more valuable.

A zero-checker, RCE Zero-Day is the most valuable section of exploitation there.

Aimed at the telegram

New grace for Telegram Bugs comes as Ukrainian Government The use of telegram is prohibited Last year on government and military personnel devices, they are afraid that they are especially risky for Russia’s government hackers.

Protection And Confidentiality Expert There is Again and again Careful That telegram should not be considered as a competitor like WhatsApp and signals. For one, telegram does not use end-to-end encryption by default and even users do not use the app well-known and last encryption, even after users enable it, which leads Crypto experts like Mathew Green To warn, “one after another telegram conversation-and literally is visible on the chat-like telegram servers of each group.”

The person who has knowledge of the exploitation market says the prices of operation zero for the telegram are “a little lower”, but it may be because the operation zero is expecting to charge more, perhaps twice or three times higher, when it re -sells the absorption.

This person, who was told to stay anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the press, said that Operation Zero could sell them several times to various customers and could pay low prices depending on some criteria.

“I don’t think they actually pay full money [price]The There will be some times that the exploitation is not clear and they will only pay a partial payment, ”they said.

Another person working in the zero-day industry said that the prices advertised by Operation Zero are not “flooded wild”. However, they also say that it depends on the fact that there is an exclusive cause and whether the price is considering the fact that Operation Zero is going to re -develop the exploitation internally, or whether they will re -sell them as a broker.

In general Has gone up in the past few years Hacking applications and platforms has become stronger. Reported in 2023 as TechCrunch, a zero-day for WhatsApp Could spend up to $ 8 million at that timeA price that takes into consideration how popular the app is.

Before the operation zero Made the title Million for hacking equipment offers 20 million offers that allow hackers to take full control of iOS and Android devices. The company currently provides $ 2.5 million for this type of bug.