Discussion

• Vox Jen Kirby on x

  The Saudi crown prince reportedly hacked Jeff Bezos

• @saudiembassyusa Saudi Embassy on x

  Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd. We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out.

• @bing_chris Chris Bing on x

  Per this report: Bezos was in a WhatsApp chat with Saudi's MBS when unprompted the crown prince sent him a random file. The file it appears contained malware, which allowed Bezos' phone to be hacked ... leading to leaks of photos designed to embarass him https://www.theguardian.c…

• @akiperitz Aki Peritz on x

  Jeff Bezos' obvious move is to sue the firms that provided this tech to the Saudis into the ground. In every jurisdiction. Show there are serious financial consequences to hacking private citizens. Burn these companies to the ground with your infinite wealth. https://twitter.com/…

• @matthew_d_green Matthew Green on x

  Everyone know you take MBS's WhatsApp messages on your burner phone.

• @beckpeterson Becky Peterson on x

  Among the most important details: NSO Group sells its Pegasus tools based on the number of people the customer wants to target. It's not a free-for-all SaaS product. @haaretzcom previously reported that Saudi Arabia paid $55 million to use Pegasus in 2017.

• @nickconfessore Nick Confessore on x

  Pulling back a bit: the Saudis likely used Israeli tech (as WaPo reported) to hack Bezos, the enemy in common of MBS and Trump. https://twitter.com/...

• @rmac18 @rmac18 on x

  Not a cell phone in sight, just people living in the moment https://twitter.com/...

• @dnvolz Dustin Volz on x

  NEW: U.N. calls for immediate investigation by the U.S. into purported hack of Jeff Bezos by the Saudi crown prince, says the operation appears to have been “an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia.” https://www.ohchr.org/...

• @rafsanchez Raf Sanchez on x

  NEW: UN investigators echo the allegation that MBS was directly involved in hacking Bezos' phone. They say it was part of an effort to intimidate Washington Post into halting its critical coverage of Khashoggi's killing. https://www.ohchr.org/... https://twitter.com/...

• @billmarczak Bill Marczak on x

  The Financial Times has seen the forensic report on the alleged hack of Bezos' phone, done by FTI Consulting. They say that the forensic report “does not claim to have conclusive evidence,” and “could not ascertain what alleged spyware was used.” https://www.ft.com/...

• @tomgara Tom Gara on x

  Saudi magical realism is Mohamed bin Salman looking at Jeff Bezos' hacked emails, discovered Bezos had been privately warned via email about Saudi hacking, and sending Bezos a message telling him to ignore that warning he got https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @iyad_elbaghdadi @iyad_elbaghdadi on x

  1. Jeff Bezos's phone was hacked through his Whatsapp account 2. The exploit came *directly* from MBS's personal phone, a few days after they exchanged numbers 3. The Saudis were in Bezos's phone from May 2018 till February 2019

• @davidakaye David Kaye on x

  tomorrow (wednesday) @AgnesCallamard & I will be releasing a public statement on this in which we address these very serious hacking allegations. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @thegrugq Thaddeus E. Grugq on x

  Handy guide for how to compartment your mobile phones. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @iyad_elbaghdadi @iyad_elbaghdadi on x

  7. Yes it was Pegasus, the cyberweapon made by Israeli company NSO 8. You think you're safe if you use Signal with disappearing messages? Think again 9. Between May and October 2018, the Saudis also hacked many others. All were about free speech, not business.

• @teddyschleifer Teddy Schleifer on x

  Here's one WhatsApp message that MBS sent Jeff Bezos, per the FT. https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @dylanbyers Dylan Byers on x

  FT's Mehul Srivastava has more details on the Bezos-MBS bombshell... including that the two men exchanged numbers at a dinner in Los Angeles during MBS's 2018 U.S. tour >> https://www.ft.com/...

• @hxhassan Hassan Hassan on x

  More on MBS's hacking of Bezos's phone • Forensic experts hired by Jeff Bezos • “Medium to high confidence” a WhatsApp account used by MBS was directly involved in the 2018 hack • Mobile started sharing data after the MBS message • Report seen by FT https://www.ft.com/... https:/…

• @aodespair David Simon on x

  Wasn't there a Washington Post journalist who had good contacts throughout a Saudi Arabia who could have probed this? Oh wait. Never mind. You murdered him, dismembered the body and tried to cover up the crime. Also, pro tip: Hacking is a term you guys should eschew for a while. …

• @isikoff Michael Isikoff on x

  This is wild. UN officials plan to release new evidence tomorrow that implicates Saudi Crown Prince MBS in the hack of a phone belonging to the world's richest man. https://twitter.com/...

• @mattgarrahan Matthew Garrahan on x

  We've seen the Jeff Bezos-commissioned report into how his phone was hacked - and the conclusion with “medium to high confidence” was that malware came via a WhatsApp msg from Prince Mohammed bin Salman https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @hxhassan Hassan Hassan on x

  “Bezos' phone started surreptitiously sharing vast amounts of data immediately after receiving an apparently innocuous, but encrypted video file from the prince's WhatsApp account in May 2018.” https://twitter.com/...

• @stevekopack Steve Kopack on x

  The WhatsApp message that hacked Jeff Bezos' phone was just the start of a “massive and unauthorised exfiltration of data” that went on “for months.” A forensic analysis found that “dozens of gigabytes” of data was exported from his device after the hack. https://www.ft.com/...

• @wajahatali @wajahatali on x

  I've tweeted this story 3 times today because it is so insane and huge and MBS is so utterly corrupt and villainous and has bragged that Kushner is in “his pocket.” Carry on. https://twitter.com/...

• @chrislhayes Chris Hayes on x

  Literally the same people who said the accusation that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi Embassy was absurd and paranoid. https://twitter.com/...

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  First, Guardian. Then FT with more detail. Then Washington Post. Now NYT with additional new details. The guy is alleged to have ordered the brutal killing of a journalist -and- hacked the mobile device of one of the leading global CEOs? Where is the US govt on this? https://twit…

• @mazmhussain Murtaza M. Hussain on x

  The guy literally murdered a Washington Post journalist and personally hacked the phone of its wealthy funder. If there is this much impunity at even the elite level what hope do ordinary people have. https://twitter.com/...

• @bradmossesq Bradley P. Moss on x

  Sure, let us know when MBS will be made available for a deposition https://twitter.com/...

• @financialtimes @financialtimes on x

  Experts hired by Jeff Bezos have concluded with a ‘medium to high confidence’ that a WhatsApp account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly involved in a 2018 hack of the Amazon founder's phone https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @annalecta Anna Massoglia on x

  Jeff Bezos—CEO of tech company Amazon & billionaire internet entreprenuer—says his phone was hacked & leaked photos due to malware in a random file unexpectedly sent to him on WhatsApp cuz *checks notes* he basically fell for Saudi Arabia's version of the Nigerian prince scam? ht…

• @justinsink Justin Sink on x

  this invites the obvious question of if mbs has ever sent certain senior members of the white house video messages via whatsapp https://twitter.com/...

• @bcappelbaum Binyamin Appelbaum on x

  We're about to to find out whether messing with a billionaire's phone is going to be a bigger international problem for Saudi Arabia than killing one of that billionaire's employees. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

• @nickconfessore Nick Confessore on x

  The @FT has seen the report too, and has an apparent screenshot of the WhatsApp message MBS allegedly sent to Bezos, part of a security analysis by @FTIConsulting. https://www.ft.com/...

• @bing_chris Chris Bing on x

  An accompanying piece (here: https://www.theguardian.com/ ...) says that: -Amazon was in talks with Saudi about data center business during time frame of hack -malicious file was a video -🤔: “an analysis of the file has found that it is *highly probable* it contained malware

• @haroldsmith3rd @haroldsmith3rd on x

  hey @matthew_d_green - Jared Kushner also uses WhatsApp and talks with MBS, often. https://twitter.com/...

• @errolbarnett Errol Barnett on x

  Incredible report of Jeff Bezos' phone being hacked by Saudi Crown Prince MBS via WhatsApp chat; “Investigation suggests Washington Post owner was targeted five months before murder of Jamal Khashoggi” https://twitter.com/...

• @elliadventurer @elliadventurer on x

  So we can assume everyone who has been messaging with MBS has been hacked, yes? Ahem. Mr. Jared Kusher, could you please pick up the white courtesy phone? @MingGao26 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @dmihalopoulos Dan Mihalopoulos on x

  So a Saudi royal may have hacked the phone of the owner of a major US newspaper whose columnist (a Saudi dissident) was murdered in a Saudi consulate ... https://twitter.com/...

• @nickconfessore Nick Confessore on x

  The Guardian's @skirchy reports that Amazon and WaPo owner Jeff Bezos was hacked with spyware from MBS's own WhatsApp account: https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @glennf Glenn Fleishman on x

  Gosh, maybe one shouldn't become texting buddies with the heads of totalitarian states who had already demonstrated the brutality with which they ran their country? https://twitter.com/...

• @ryangrim Ryan Grim on x

  As we previously reported, Kushner chatted regularly with MBS on WhatsApp. It is near-certain that MBS pulled this same hack on Kushner and Saudi has therefore had secret access to his phone for years. Trump forced his security clearance through. https://theintercept.com/... http…

• @campuscodi Catalin Cimpanu on x

  The balls to pull this off 😅 https://twitter.com/...

• @ali_h_soufan Ali H. Soufan on x

  Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone ‘hacked by Saudi crown prince.’ The two men had been having a seemingly friendly WhatsApp exchange, then an intrusion into Bezo's phone was triggered by an infected video file sent from the account of MBS. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @xsovietnews X Soviet on x

  Two people who very much deserve each other. https://twitter.com/...

• @donie Donie O'Sullivan on x

  If correct, this is wild. “The encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman 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.” https://www.theguardian.com/…

• @slpng_giants @slpng_giants on x

  This brings up a whole shitload of questions, but it stands to reason that maybe a guy that controls one of the biggest companies in the world should maybe also not control one of the biggest newspapers in the country. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @tomgara Tom Gara on x

  When this headline says “Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone ‘hacked by Saudi crown prince’” it doesn't mean it figuratively — Mohamed bin Salman personally hacked Jeff Bezos' phone. Incredible. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @mallownews @mallownews on x

  To be fair that's not the worst hacking a Saudi Prince has been involved in. https://twitter.com/...

• @tvietor08 Tommy Vietor on x

  This article claims that Mohammed bin Salman personally sent Jeff Bezos a virus via WhatsApp that allowed the Saudis to hack his device...that sound you hear is Jared Kushner sprinting to the IT desk. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @bigboyler Chris O'Dowd on x

  Disaster movie. Elevator Pitch. Act 2. https://twitter.com/...

• @jessicayellin Jessica Yellin on x

  This is wow. If you need a break from impeachment read this: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone ‘hacked by Saudi crown prince’ | Jeff Bezos | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @brianbeutler Brian Beutler on x

  Jared's best pal (and possibly business partner?) hacking one of Trump's targets of abuse would seem to raise some questions... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @ashleymayer Ashley Mayer on x

  Feeling grateful I'm not on any of the billionaire group chats 🙏 https://twitter.com/...

• @beckpeterson Becky Peterson on x

  @haaretzcom Two other things I reported in September: NSO Group has a kill switch it can use against customers who misbehave. It's killed customer access three times. It also has a contractual right to audit which phone numbers get targeted by its tech if it suspects misuse.

• @rj_gallagher Ryan Gallagher on x

  NSO Group with a new statement denying involvement in the Bezos hack & threatening legal action against anyone who suggests otherwise: https://twitter.com/...

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  The irony is that NSO Group uses Amazon Web Services to interact with WhatsApp's APIs. So if NSO was behind the intrusion, then some of the key evidence is available to Bezos' excellent AWS security team. https://twitter.com/...

• @csdickey @csdickey on x

  @thedailybeast @NicoHines The timeline annexed to the UN report is damning. First page: https://twitter.com/...

• @davidakaye David Kaye on x

  neither agnes nor i are infosec experts. so we consulted independent experts. based on their responses, which included questions about strength of forensics, we decided to raise concerns as we are today.

• @davidakaye David Kaye on x

  a few comments of background in relation to release of our public statement just now - a statement which is *not a report*, as some have characterized it, but a call for investigation in light of serious human rights allegations. report is here: https://www.ohchr.org/... https://…

• @davmicrot David Rothschild on x

  Likelihood that Jared's phone was hacked by Saudi Arabia and he is being blackmailed by them right now is terrifying for US. https://twitter.com/...

• @nedprice Ned Price on x

  Not only was the Saudi Crown Prince personally involved in the hacking of Bezos' phone, but this sure makes it sound like MbS himself tried to use the information gleaned from that operation to blackmail Bezos. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @davidakaye David Kaye on x

  here we received a forensic analysis concluding with ‘medium to high confidence’ that the iphone of Jeff Bezos was compromised via malware sent in 2018 from WhatsApp acct of the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• @davidakaye David Kaye on x

  there are obviously still many questions, and that's why we believe and call for further investigation is necessary, given the nature of the allegations and the threats posed, if true. /end

• @davidakaye David Kaye on x

  a key first point: @AgnesCallamard & i regularly receive information from sources about serious human rights violations, from all over the world. we are mandated by the @UNHumanRights Council to address credible allegations of violation.

• @brianbeutler Brian Beutler on x

  There's also the likely related matter of the Saudis' and Trump's joint interest in sabotaging Bezos, raising the important question of what Kushner and Trump knew, and when they knew it. https://twitter.com/...

• @blakehounshell @blakehounshell on x

  This U.N. report on the Bezos hack draws a line from Jamal Khashoggi criticizing Trump at a D.C. think tank event to his silencing by the Saudi state https://www.ohchr.org/...

• @noahshachtman Noah Shachtman on x

  BREAKING: MBS didn't just hack Bezos' phone, an explosive report says. The Crown Prince taunted Bezos about his affair — long before it became public. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...

• @maxwellstrachan Maxwell on x

  motherboard got the technical report investigating the potential hack of jeff bezos' iPhone, and it includes some very good whatsapp texts between bezos and MBS https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @alexhern Hern on x

  Anyway the interesting thing is that I can't actually find the image macro on the internet. The closest I can find is one using the same picture, but with the caption in Polish rather than English: https://twitter.com/...

• @kashhill Kashmir Hill on x

  I'm just here to find out who sent the first “let's be friends” text and looks like it was totally Bezos. MBS left him hanging for a full night before responding. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @josephfcox Joseph Cox on x

  MBS texted Bezos photos looking like his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, and made a remark about arguing with spouses. As report notes, this was after someone with access to the phone could have figured out the affair, but ~before~ it was public knowledge https://www.vice.com/... http…

• @bmakuch Ben Makuch on x

  Not only has extensive reporting suggested MBS is a brutal autocrat who had a dissident journalist beheaded in an embassy, but if this UN report is right, his opsec can only be characterized as: “sloppy af.” https://www.vice.com/... Latest from @josephfcox + @KimZetter for @vice

• @josephfcox Joseph Cox on x

  This is a thumbnail of the video that Saudi Arabia's Mohammad Bin Salman's WhatsApp account sent to Jeff Bezos, which investigators believe is connected to a hack of his phone https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @josephfcox Joseph Cox on x

  New: we've published the underlying technical report from FTI Consulting that alleges Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince hacked the phone of Jeff Bezos https://www.vice.com/...

• @kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x

  The Saudis grabbed a TON of data out of Bezos's phone, per report. 29,000% more than usual after MBS video message. Wow. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @jamesliamcook James Cook on x

  “Hello MBS” https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...