Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Facebook alerts 50,000 users targeted by cyber mercenaries as it bans seven surveillance-for-hire groups

Facebook alerts 50,000 users targeted by cyber mercenaries as it bans seven surveillance-for-hire groups

The company's alerts warn of "sophisticated attackers" targeting victims' accounts and urge users to be cautious when accepting friend requests and interacting with people they don't know.

Facebook has alerted around 50,000 people who the company believes were targeted by "cyber mercenaries" - private companies often hired by authoritarian states to spy on individuals.

The victims included "journalists, dissidents, critics of authoritarian regimes, [and] families of opposition and human rights activists" the company warned in a threat report published on Thursday.

The mercenaries targeting these individuals were similar to NSO Group, the Israeli spyware firm recently sanctioned by the US government, but Meta said: "NSO is only one piece of a much broader global cyber mercenary industry."

Meta has sent cease and desist letters to several 'cyber mercenary' organisations


Alongside the alerts sent to victims, Meta said it had disabled seven entities that had been targeted people in over 100 countries as well as issued cease and desist letters.

The seven surveillance-for-hire groups are based in China, Israel, India and North Macedonia the company said, from where they "indiscriminately" targeted people in over 100 countries.

Meta said these organisations violated multiple community standards and terms of service rules and have been permanently banned.

Sky News did not immediately receive a response from the companies which Meta named.

"The existence and proliferation of these services worldwide raises a number of important questions," wrote David Agranovich and Mile Dvilyanski, senior cyber security specialists at the firm with backgrounds working for the US government.

"While these cyber mercenaries often claim that their services and surveillanceware are meant to focus only on criminals and terrorists, our own investigation, independent researchers, our industry peers and governments have demonstrated that targeting is indeed indiscriminate."

It follows the words of the head of the UK National Cyber Security Centre, Lindy Cameron, who earlier this year issued a warning about "the commercial market for sophisticated cyber exploitation products".

"Those with lower capabilities are able to simply purchase techniques and tradecraft - and obviously these unregulated products can easily be put to use by those who don't have a history of responsible use of these techniques.

"We need to avoid a marketplace for vulnerabilities and exploits developing that makes us all less safe," Ms Cameron added.

Meta - which first sued NSO Group over a WhatsApp hack - said it was encouraged to see Microsoft and Apple, as well as the US Government, "begin to draw attention to this threat and take action against it".

"For our collective response against abuse to be effective, it is imperative for technology platforms, civil society and democratic governments to raise the costs on this global industry and disincentivise these abusive surveillance-for-hire services.

"Our hope with this threat report is to contribute to this global effort and help shine the light on this industry," the statement added.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The Current Welfare State Can No Longer Be Financed”
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
Wizz Air passengers screamed as storm-battered flight diverts to Bologna
European postal services halt U.S. deliveries after Trump imposes new tariffs
Urban explorer finds abandoned luxury restaurant left to decay
Fidesz leader labels Péter Magyar a ‘bluffer’ amid escalating political spat
French rope park operator arrested for denying entry to Israeli children
Újpest thrashes Zalaegerszeg 4-1 to secure first win in five matches
Profit-margin cap costs retailers 13 billion forints a month, warns trade group
Curiosity rover finds coral-like rock on Mars hinting at watery past
U.S. green policy rollback drives investors to Europe’s sustainable finance market
Special funerals rise in Hungary: boat, aerial and forest burials gain popularity
Hungary’s Kiskunság region turning into semi-desert after extreme drought
Kopasz Bálint wins world kayak 1000 m title in Milan, making him triple world champion
Budapest’s Keleti railway station to close for four weeks for track overhaul
Balaton could be unfit for swimming by 2035 and dry by 2050, scientists warn
Leaked guidelines show Meta’s AI allowed flirty and racist interactions with children
Filming of ‘Emily in Paris’ halted after assistant director dies on set
Filipino guest workers sue after Hungary moves to deport them for pregnancy
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
Canada: Nurse Suspended and Fined 93 Thousand Dollars After Stating the World’s Most Well-Known Fact Since the Creation of Adam and Eve, That There Are Only Two Genders
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
×