Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrest Time To Check Your Telegram Security

Are you worried about your Telegram access and privacy following Pavel Durov's arrest? Pavel Durov has been charged in France, but has not yet appeared in court. It is not yet clear how things will play out in court, but in the meantime scammers are already taking advantage of the widespread attention and panic surrounding Telegram, while on social media there is a lot of dubious advice on what to do now. In this article we will teach you how to check your Telegram security.

First: Check Telegram Chat Privacy

Simply, most chats on Telegram cannot be considered confidential, and it has always been that way. If you send sensitive information on Telegram without using secret chats, you put it at risk. In accordance with these recommendations, move your private communications to another messenger.

Many media outlets say that the main complaint against Durov and Telegram is their refusal to cooperate with French authorities and offer chats of Ukrainian users. Apparently, Durov has some kind of encryption key that can be used to read users' messages.

In fact, few people really know what the Telegram server is like, but based on the available information, it is clear that most of the correspondence is stored on the servers in a minimally encrypted form, i.e. the decryption keys are stored in the same Telegram infrastructure in which they are converted.

The creators claim that chats are stored in one country, while encrypted messages are stored in another, but since all servers are interconnected, it's unclear how effective this security measure is in practice.

It helps if servers are seized in one country, but that's about it. Encryption, which is common in other messengers (WhatsApp, Signal, and even Viber), is called secret chat in Telegram. It's somewhat hidden deep within relationships and must be enabled manually for select personal chats. All group chats, channels, and personal correspondence are not end-to-end encrypted and are at least readable on Telegram servers. Moreover, for both secret chats and everything else, Telegram uses its own non-standard protocol, MTProto, which contains serious cryptographic vulnerabilities. So, in theory, some people can read Telegram correspondence:

• Telegram server administrators
• Hackers who successfully infiltrated Telegram servers and installed spyware
• Third parties with access granted by Telegram administrators
• A third party who has discovered cryptographic vulnerabilities in Telegram protocols and can read at least non-sensitive chats (selectively or completely) by intercepting some users' traffic.

Deleting old Telegram messages

Some users have been advised to delete old chats on Telegram, such as work-related chats. This advice seems questionable, as in databases entries are rarely deleted. They are simply marked as such. Also, like any major IT infrastructure, Telegram probably implements a robust data backup system, meaning that “deleted” messages are at least preserved in database backups. It may be more effective for both chat participants (or group admins) to delete the chat entirely. However, the backup issue will still persist.

Backing up Telegram chats

Several observers have expressed concern that Telegram may be removed from app stores such as the App Store or Google Play, blocked, or otherwise discontinued. While this may seem unlikely, it is still good practice to back up important correspondence, photographs, and documents.

To back up messages, you need to install Telegram on your computer, log in to your account, and then go to Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data.

In the window that opens, you can select the data you want to export (personal chats, group chats, with or without photos and videos), set download size limits, and select the data format.

Prevent Telegram from being deleted from smartphones

Any advice on how to prevent Telegram from being deleted from iPhones is bogus. Also, a popular method to "prevent Telegram from being deleted" is circulating on the Internet, which does not prevent Apple from deleting apps using the Screen Time menu. It only prevents certain users (e.g. children) from uninstalling apps themselves: as such, it is a parental control feature.

Durov's arrest has revived the old false claim that Telegram was remotely removed from the iPhone, which both Apple and Telegram officially denied in 2021.

As for Android, Google also does not usually remove apps. Except when it comes to 100% malicious software. Admittedly, these guarantees do not apply to all owners of other phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.), but on Android it is easy to install Telegram directly from the Telegram website.

Using unofficial versions of Telegram

There are unofficial but still functional and legal versions of Telegram, and there is even a popular unofficial alternative version called Telegram X. All of these versions use the Telegram API, but it is not clear whether they provide additional benefits or increased security.

Of course, you could end up downloading malware designed as a Telegram replacement, but scammers do not miss the opportunity to exploit the app's popularity. If you are considering unofficial alternative apps, follow these security guidelines:

• Only download them from official app stores.
• Make sure the app has been around for a while and has high ratings and many downloads.
• Use a reliable antivirus on all platforms, such as Kaspersky Premium.

Fundraising for Durov and the defense of freedom of speech

This is not directly related to Telegram chats, but it is important to be wary of scammers posing as fundraisers for Pavel Durov's legal defense, when in fact their goal is to steal payment information or cryptocurrency donations. Treat such claims with skepticism and check whether the claimed organization actually exists and is carrying out such a campaign.hundreds of gigabytes of free space, depending on how much you use Telegram and your export settings. You can close the export window, but make sure not to exit the program or disconnect your computer from the Internet or power. We recommend that you only use the backup feature in the official version.