Saudi Arabian Government Denies Hacking Jeff Bezos' Phone

Saudi Arabia denied hacking Jeff Bezos' phone in 2018 despite the leak being traced back to an account operated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In a new statement, the Saudi Arabian embassy called claims of the country hacking Bezos' phone "absurd" accusations.

"Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," the statement reads. "We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out."

On Tuesday, it was concluded that Bezos' phone was compromised after receiving a malicious video file via a WhatsApp message from a number used by the Crown Prince. According to the Guardian, this allowed the hacker to access "large amounts of data" from the device within hours of it receiving the video file and led to the reveal of Bezos' personal texts and information.

Amazon has not commented on the situation. In February 2019, Bezos claimed he became an enemy of Saudi Arabia for the way the Washington Post covered the government role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bezo feels this attack was a part of a scheme to give the National Enquirer access to his private texts. A spokesperson for the tabloid denied any connection to the hack claiming its parent company "American Media does not have, nor have we ever had, any editorial or financial ties to Saudi Arabia" and that the source for their story on Bezo's extramarital affair was "not Saudi Arabia."

Despite possibly being attacked by foreign powers, Bezos still uses the Washington Post to circulate the truth. Shortly after bin Salman's alleged involvement in the hack was revealed, the Post said the United Nations will publicize the results of the investigation.