Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos has alleged that a WhatsApp (NASDAQ: FB) message he received in 2018 that caused his phone to be hacked was sent from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia's number itself.
A digital forensic analysis has revealed that it is "highly probable" the encrypted number sending the malicious file was of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who may have attempted to infiltrate Bezos's phone on account of him being the richest man in the world.
The file was initially used to access large amounts of data from Bezos's phone and steal it through a back-door channel.
Some have attempted to link this report to the discovery of Bezos's affair: "The report offers one explanation of how The National Enquirer, a tabloid, obtained and published text messages Bezos had sent to his mistress," CNBC reported. The BBC asserted that information extracted from Mr. Bezos' phone was "leaked to the American tabloid."
Part of these allegations stem from the fact that MBS shared a "close relationship" with David Pecker, the chief executive of the company that owned the Enquirer.
However, this may be a bit of a stretch, especially since multiple other media sources were already pursuing the lead. "The single source of our reporting has been well documented," American Media said in a statement. "In September of 2018, Michael Sanchez began providing all materials and information to our reporters. Any suggestion that a third party was involved in or in any way influenced our reporting is false."
If the allegations are true, many investors will be concerned about making deals with MBS, for fear of his unorthodox persuasive and information-gathering tactics.
This information, coupled with the fact that Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in October 2018 in what was dubbed as a "rogue operation," has amplified investor fears and painted MBS as a dangerous person to disagree with.
Andrew Miller, a Middle East expert who served on the national security council under President Barack Obama, said: "He probably believed that if he got something on Bezos it could shape coverage of Saudi Arabia in the Post. It is clear that the Saudis have no real boundaries or limits in terms of what they are prepared to do in order to protect and advance MBS, whether it is going after the head of one of the largest companies in the world or a dissident who is on their own."