Security Tips: How to Protect Your Telegram Account from Hacking

Conclusion: To protect your Telegram account, it's crucial to avoid sharing your personal phone number and verification codes.

Why Sharing Screenshots Can Lead to Account Hacking

When someone asks you to take a screenshot, it might include the verification code for logging into your account. Telegram has implemented security measures in its iOS client, where verification codes exposed in screen recordings or screenshots will automatically become invalid. However, Web clients, desktop apps, and Android versions might not have these protections, so please remain vigilant.

How Account Hacking Works

Step One: Obtaining Your Phone Number

Hackers typically obtain your phone number through the following methods:

1. Deceptive Requests: They might use pretexts like lifting private chat restrictions to ask you to directly send your phone number.
2. Adding Contacts: If you don't uncheck the "Share my phone number" option when adding contacts, hackers will be able to see your phone number.

If hackers cannot obtain your phone number, the subsequent steps in the process cannot proceed.

Step Two: Logging Into Your Account

Hackers will attempt to log into your account using their own client. At this point, Telegram will send a verification code to the device you are currently using. The verification code message contains keywords such as "Login" or "give." Hackers will ask you to search for these keywords within Telegram to locate the verification code message and then request that you screenshot it and send it to them. Once they obtain the verification code, they can try to log into your account.

Even if Telegram hides the verification code on the main chat list, hackers might still instruct you to open the message and screenshot it to reveal the code. If you haven't enabled two-step verification, they will successfully log into your account. If you have enabled two-step verification, they would also need to enter the password you set.

Step Three: Actions After Hacking the Account

Once hackers successfully gain access, they might perform the following actions:

• Kick out your logged-in devices
• View your saved data (e.g., passwords)
• Transfer channels and groups you created to their own account
• Terminate your account

At this point, your account will no longer belong to you.

What You Could Lose If Your Account is Hacked

1. Impersonate you to contact your contacts and commit fraud.
2. View your private data, such as Saved Messages and private channels.
3. Transfer ownership of your groups and channels.
4. Use your account to post advertisements.
5. Engage in other malicious activities.

Key Security Advice

1. Never share your phone number.
2. Never disclose verification codes.

Telegram Registration and Login Logic

Registration Logic

1. Initial registration must be done using the official mobile client; the verification code will be sent to your phone.
2. When using the desktop client, the system will prompt you to register via your mobile device.
3. When using third-party clients, they might prompt for a verification code to be sent, but you may not receive the SMS.

Login Logic

1. When logging into an already registered account again, the verification code will be sent directly to your already logged-in device.
2. If two-step verification is not enabled, log in using "phone number + verification code."
3. If two-step verification is enabled, log in using "phone number + verification code + two-step verification password."

By following these security tips, you can effectively protect your Telegram account from being hacked and safeguard your personal privacy and information security.