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Report: Amazon Honcho Jeff Bezos’ Phone Hacked by Saudi Crown Prince

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos appeared to have had his mobile phone “hacked’ after receiving a WhatsApp message apparently sent from the personal account of the Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to reports.

Fox News reports:

Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post was allegedly hacked in May 2018 after receiving an infected video file sent from the personal account of the crown prince — which is believed to have included a hostile file containing code that led to the infiltration of his phone, according to an investigation by forensic digital experts hired by Jeff Bezos.

It was “highly probable” the infiltration was triggered by the infected file sent to Bezos, according to the Guardian. It was reportedly sent during what was described as a friendly chat between the two men.

Soon after the message was sent, a massive amount of data was extracted from Bezos’s phone, investigators concluded. It’s not clear what data was accessed or how it may have been used.

The encrypted video file was reportedly sent weeks after the two exchanged numbers at a dinner in Los Angeles, according to the Financial Times.

The message was believed to be harmless until an analysis reportedly conducted by the firm FTI Consulting found digital evidence suggesting it led to the breach, the outlet reported.

Investigators reportedly started looking at Bezos’ phone after the National Enquirer was reporting on his extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor, sparking his split from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, in January last year. It relied, in part on text messages sent by Bezos, according to Bloomberg. Bezos accused the Enquirer of trying to blackmail him with a series of racy pics, including the penis pic and a photo of Sanchez “smoking a cigar in what appears to be a simulated sex scene.”

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About Catherine Smith

Catherine Smith is a newcomer to Washington D.C. She met and married an American journalist and moved to D.C. from the U.K. She graduated with a B.A. in Graphics, Media, and Communications and worked in design and retail in the U.K.

Photo: (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

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