According to someith, hackers have hijacked Ukrainian Facebook accounts to spread false information.
Hijacked accounts are used, among other things, to spread false news. Adobe Stock / AOP
Facebook parent company Meta said in a virtual news conference on Sunday that hackers have targeted Ukrainian military officials and journalists. The purpose of the hackers is to hijack the accounts and spread false information about the war in Ukraine.
The news Cnetin according to Facebook, it did not elaborate on the accounts in question in order to protect their owners. A hacking operation that has already begun is called Ghostwriter.
Director of Meta’s Global Threats Department David Agranovich reported that Meta has also found videos spreading on Facebook showing Ukrainian troops as weak and surrendering to Russia.
Agranovich said that attempts are typically made to hijack accounts through emails by spreading links to fake sites. It can be easier to trick people in distress into opening fishing sites. Once the data has been fished, the account is hijacked and used to spread false information.
Meta’s Director of Security Nathaniel Gleicherin according to the Ghostwriter hijacking operation has reached a small number of Facebook users, but the goal is to get into the accounts of valuable items such as public figures.
The background to the hackers has not been officially reported, but the EU estimates that as early as last September, some EU countries linked Ghostwriter to Russia.
Accounts closed
Meta has also said it has deleted about 40 Russian and Ukrainian fake accounts, sites and groups from Facebook and Instagram. The accounts are presented by journalists or authors of scientific publications.
According to Meta, the fake news sites and publications linked to the accounts have contained allegations that “the West would have betrayed Ukraine and that Ukraine would have failed as a state”.
However, according to Meta, the coverage of these accounts has not been high. Meta also says it has expanded its fact-checking capacity in Russia and Ukraine. Russia has restricted access to Facebook after Meta announced it would not stop fact-checking in Russia.
Meta has already taken steps in the past to protect Ukrainian accounts and thus individuals. Users have been given the option to lock their Facebook profile and remove the ability for others to view and search their friends’ friends lists.