Saudi Hack of Bezos' Phone Shines Bright Light on Security Challenges
A digital forensic analysis conducted by Anthony Ferrante of business advisory firm FTI Consulting concludes with "medium to high confidence" that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' smartphone was hacked through a malicious file sent from the WhatsApp account of Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The malware was in an MP4 file attached to a WhatsApp message. FTI Consulting forwarded its findings to United Nations special rapporteurs who released technical elements of the report. Rapporteurs investigate the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression, among other things. FTI Consulting declined our request to comment for our story, stating that all client work is confidential.
The reason FTI qualified its conclusion likely is because "computer forensics isn't always an exact science, and the experts might be limited by the data and evidence they have in hand," said Tim Erlin, VP of product management and strategy at Tripwire. "There may also be unanswered questions or alternatives to consider," he told TechNewsWorld.
