Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had for some time had a seemingly pleasant exchange via the chat app Whatsapp. But on May 1, 2018 Bezos received a video file sent to him, what it seems from the crown prince "MBS" himself.
The video file is believed to have been infected with malicious code which in turn opened up his phone for data looting, according to the conclusions of a technical analysis that British The Guardian has found out through anonymous sources.
Information that Saudi actors hacked Bezo's phone has appeared before, but the new information about the Crown Prince's alleged personal involvement gives the story another dimension.
Was linked to the Khashoggi murderGavin de Becker, who worked for a long time as a security consultant for Bezos, went out last year and accused Saudis of deliberately attacking Bezos and the newspaper he owns, the Washington Post.
de Becker linked it to the murder of the newspaper's chronicler Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul 2017. The Washington Post reported intensely on the murder to the Saudis' dismay. Among other things, it turned out that Khashoggi's phone was also intercepted by hacking.
Bezos security consultant then also linked the alleged hacking with tabloid reporting in the National Enquirer about Bezos, including details from telephone messages. The owner has stated that they have received some data from data breaches.
Embassy: "Absurd" accusationsBezo's lawyers have declined to comment on the new information. The Saudi embassy in the United States dismisses them blankly.
"Media reporting that suggests the Kingdom is behind the hacking of Mr Jeff Bezo's phone is absurd. We are calling for an investigation into these allegations so that all the facts are revealed, ”the embassy writes on Twitter.