May 15, 2018

Pakistan activists targeted in Facebook attacks

The messages weren't coming from a fan of Mrs Saeeda's activism - instead they were the start of a sustained campaign of digital attacks attempting to install malware on her computer and mobile phone to spy on her and steal her data. The attackers targeting Mrs Saeeda made crucial mistakes that allowed researchers from human rights group Amnesty International to trace a number of individuals linked either to the operation or to the malware used. She says the malware attacks were more invasive than anything she had previously experienced. They discovered the malware linked to the New Year's Eve photo filters that "Sana Halimi" had sent to Mrs Saeeda via Facebook would send any stolen data to a server registered in Lahore. Mr Guarnieri says there is no evidence Mr Hanif or Super Innovative were involved in sending the malware to Mrs Saeeda but his research connects Mr Hanif to the creation of the malware used to target her.

Read the full story

 Related companies

Make a complaint about Facebook by viewing their customer service contacts.