Chinese hackers used fake Facebook accounts in attempt to trick Uygur minority, says site
- The effort, which Facebook described as ‘highly targeted’ saw a group of hackers create fake personalities on Facebook to build relationships with Uygurs, a Muslim ethnic group in China
- Facebook’s probe found links between the hackers and two China-based tech firms but no direct links to Beijing
The accounts and sites contained malicious links. If the target clicked on one, their computer or smartphone would be infected with software allowing the network to spy on the target’s device.
The software could obtain information including the victim’s location, keystrokes and contacts, according to FireEye, a cybersecurity firm that worked on the investigation.
In all, fewer than 500 people were targeted by the hackers in 2019 and 2020, Facebook said. The company said it uncovered the network during its routine security work, and has deactivated the fictitious accounts and notified individuals whose devices may have been compromised. Most of the hackers’ activities took place on non-Facebook sites and platforms.
“They tried to create these personas, build trust in the community, and use that as a way to trick people into clicking on these links to expose their devices,” said Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy.