Critical Security Flaw Found in Telegram's Nearby Users Feature
Discover how a major vulnerability in Telegram's 'People Nearby' feature exposes precise user locations and what you can do to protect your privacy.
Despite the discovery, Telegram representatives have dismissed the issue as non-problematic.
Developer Ahmed's Blog recently revealed a significant security vulnerability in Telegram’s “People Nearby” feature, which is designed to help users find and connect with others in their vicinity. Alarmingly, this feature can be exploited to pinpoint an exact user's location without any advanced skills or specialized equipment.
The feature operates within a radius of up to 12 kilometers. By systematically testing distances and knowing the general city or neighborhood—information often easily accessible through social media—an individual can accurately locate someone. This can be done either by physically taking distance measurements from three different spots or by using software that simulates being in various locations.
The developer chose the latter approach: inputting three sets of coordinates sequentially and recording the distances to the target user. Using Google Earth Pro, the developer drew circles based on these distances, and the intersection pinpointed the exact location. Since the developer knew the person, they confirmed the accuracy of the location identified through Telegram.
Typically, services like this protect user privacy by adding random variations to distance data, preventing precise triangulation. Surprisingly, Telegram does not implement such safeguards. When contacted, Telegram's team stated they do not consider this behavior a security concern.
Users are strongly advised to disable location sharing to protect their privacy. To do this, open Telegram, navigate to the “Contacts” tab, select “Find People Nearby,” and choose “Hide Me.” By default, this feature is turned off, but users who enabled it for experimentation might have forgotten to disable it.
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