Hackers are targetting Facebook users by creating FB ads from legitimate companies to run a phishing campaign. In the attack, hackers were successful in stealing over 6,15,000 user’s credentials. Hackers are running this campaign that compromises computer security in Asian countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Egypt.
A computer security breach compromises the Facebook user-credential of over 6,15,000 accounts
A Nepal-based cybersecurity firm, ThreatNix, uncovered this attack. Researchers at the firm stated that the hackers used localized FB ads to lure victims. After clicking on the ads, users are redirected to a phishing page hosted on Github, which resembles the landing page of Facebook. The page asks users to enter their Facebook details to avail the offer.
To surpass the detection system of Facebook, hackers used shortened URLs that redirected to a harmless page to get their ads approved. Once Facebook approved the ad, they modified the links to redirect users to a phishing page. After digging deeper, researchers discovered the list of over 6k collected credentials and that the list is growing at 100 users per minute. Amassed credentials include Facebook’s login details, phone number, IP address, email id, and other important information.
However, this is not the first time hackers abused FB ads. In October last year, the security team of Facebook discovered the SilentFade malware attack, which defrauded over $4 million from users.
