How a WhatsApp message led to alleged 'hacking' of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' smartphone

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' smartphone was hacked in 2018 and a recent report by The Guardian claims that a WhatsApp message had made it possible. According to the report, the message had a malicious file attached to it but more importantly, it was sent by the Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman. It adds that the message was a video file which had a malicious file as part of it, and was sent on May 1. The probe is still ongoing into the hacking of Bezos’ smartphone. 

However, Saudi Arabia has denied its part in the entire episode. In a statement, Saudi Arabia US embassy has called the report absurd. “We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out,” adds the statement.

How it was done on WhatsApp

The Guardian said that the "encrypted message from the number 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."

After the initial installation, the malware allegedly extracted a large amount of data from Bezos’ phone within hours. Notably, Bezos is also the owner of Washington Post - a media house that did critical coverage of Saudi Arabia and its crown prince. 

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Bezos India Trip

The Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos recently arrived in India and has attended multiple events since then, and has also made some major announcements. On Monday, he posted a video on his official Twitter handle in which he drove an e-rickshaw with Amazon`s delivery partners.

"Hey, India. We`re rolling out our new fleet of electric delivery rickshaws. Fully electric. Zero carbon. #ClimatePledge," Bezos tweeted along with the video. The video showing Bezos driving an e-rickshaw, carried his first name -- JEFF.