Saudi Embassy Denies Hacking Bezos Phone, UN Experts Call For Investigation

Saudi Arabia is dismissing reports it's behind the hacking of Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN CEO Jeff Bezos' phone.

The Guardian reported Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the hacking of Bezos' phone in 2018, citing results of a new digital forensic analysis. A WhatsApp message sent to Bezos from Mohammed bin Salman’s phone back in 2018 contained malware, which was later used to hack the Amazon CEO’s phone, according to the analysis results.

A forensics team hired by Bezos concluded with "medium to high probability" that a hacking of the mobile phone originated from an account controlled by bin Salman, reports CNN.

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Embassy Denies Report

The Saudi embassy in Washington tweeted a statement that "recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd."

The United Nations has also weighed in with experts calling for an investigation into allegations that bin Salman was involved in hacking.

"The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia," the UN experts wrote, according to Bloomberg. The circumstances and timing of the hack "strengthen support for further investigation by U.S. and other relevant authorities of the allegations that the Crown Prince ordered, incited, or, at a minimum, was aware of planning for but failed to stop the mission that fatally targeted Mr. Khashoggi in Istanbul."