Goodbye, dark Telegram: Blocks are pushing the underground out

Goodbye, dark Telegram: Blocks are pushing the underground out, published on 09 December 2025, reports that cybercriminals have long used Telegram as a platform for shadow operations. The analysis examined more than 800 blocked Telegram channels that existed between 2021 and 2024, and found that the median lifespan of a shadow Telegram channel rose from five months in 2021–2022 to nine months in 2023–2024.

It also notes that the frequency of blocking cybercrime channels has been growing since October 2024, with criminals migrating to other messaging services as Telegram blocks increased. The study discusses Telegram’s architecture and concludes that its lack of default end-to-end encryption, centralised infrastructure, and closed server-side code drive the community’s concern for operational security, prompting migration away from the platform. The full report is available according to Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence.