You can get the IP address of a person whom you are calling through telegram.
Though this was not a new bug, this bug has been there since 2018, and
Telegram declared this is a feature, not a bug
Recently Whatsapp introduced a new feature, Protect My IP during Whatsapp calls. Maybe Meta worried about the same as Telegram used to Leak IP address during an audio call
I have been aware of this bug since then but never tried it. I was a web developer, and after being involved in WebRTC projects, I am aware of how these real-time communication applications work. Of course, I have developed some real-time chatting applications using ReactJs and Nodejs
Most of the Chatting, real-time communication applications use WebRTC, WebSockets where WebRTC focuses on Audio, Video Transmission and Websockets on general data transfer
While these connections work on peer-to-peer, a server is still needed. Once the connection is established between two clients, then there is no need for a server. The clients can transfer the data without a server
After reading the recent article by Techcrunch on Telegram still leaking the IP addresses of its users, I found it interesting and thought it could be possible; I have also tried the script by n0a. I have tested the script on Linux as well as Windows, but it doesn't seem to be working for me (But it does the same for Whatsapp too), so I used Wireshark to demonstrate this again
Requirements:
- Telegram Desktop application
- Wireshark
What is Wireshark?
Wireshark is a Network monitoring troubleshooting software. It is free and open source, used by IT professionals and Hackers to analyze the network packets.
Also Read: Capture Android Traffic Remotely With Wireshark
How to get the IP address of a Telegram User by Making an audio call
Make sure Wireshark and Telegram for Desktop are installed on your system. It doesn't matter Windows or Linux. I have used the Windows system
Firstly, Open Wireshark and choose the network. In my case, I was connected to my wifi, and I will be choosing the wifi. If you are connected to your ethernet, then you should choose that
After that, open Telegram Desktop, call any of your friends and wait till they accept the call. After accepting the call, you can end the call and Open Wireshark to see the logs.
In the search bar, filter the protocol by stun. You can search stun and search for the message XOR-MAPPED-ADDRESS
Image2
You will get the IP address of the other person. This is how you can use that IP address to geo-locate the Person.
Note:
Telegram allows Peer-to-peer calls. If this option is enabled, then
only this will work. Otherwise, the call will be relayed through Telegram servers.
How to prevent This?
Go to Telegram Settings, Privacy calls Disable Peer to Peer.
In WhatsApp To access this setting:
Tap Settings, then Privacy.
Tap Advanced.
Turn Protect IP address in calls on or off.