Vietnamese hackers spread malicious code, steal information

Facebook has accused Vietnamese hackers of spreading malicious code and stealing user information from its platform.

The U.S. company said on Thursday that it is taking measures against independent hacker groups from Vietnam and Bangladesh who use its website to spread malicious code, steal user information and hijack accounts.

The social media giant said Vietnamese hackers used three form of attacks – via social engineering, via Android applications, and by spreading malicious codes.

Facebook said Vietnamese hackers have built fake characters and organizations on social networks, creating a legitimate cover to reach the target they want to attack. They also build pages to attract followers and then trick users into installing malware, it said.

They create apps on Play Store, get users to install them and monitor their device.

They also attack Facebook users by spreading malicious codes through websites created by them or existing ones that are compromised to install them, it said.

Another form of attack is through shortened links, it said.

Facebook has been following this group of hackers for years and said the group is linked with CyberOne, an information technology company based in Ho Chi Minh City.

But CyberOne Group recently told Reuters it is not related to the hacker group.

Facebook also accused Bangladesh hacker groups DoN and CRAF of hacking and taking over administrator powers in major accounts, deleting the remaining administrators and then disabling the accounts.

It is taking a number of measures to prevent and mitigate damage caused by the hackers, including notifying users if their accounts had been potentially attacked.

It advises users not to click on suspicious links and not to download software from untrusted sources.

By Luu Quy – VnExpress.net – December 12, 2020