Global Political Leaders Under Threat: Meta Unveils Iranian Hacker Operation

 Meta Unveils Iranian Hacker Group Targeting U.S. Officials and Global Figures

Meta Platforms recently joined Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI in exposing the activities of an Iranian state-sponsored hacker group. This revelation highlights the group's attempts to target WhatsApp accounts of U.S. officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations, along with individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the U.K., and the U.S.

Meta attributed the cyber activity to APT42, a hacker group linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This group, also known as Charming Kitten, Damselfly, Mint Sandstorm (formerly Phosphorus), TA453, and Yellow Garuda, is infamous for its use of sophisticated social engineering tactics. These tactics involve phishing attempts and deploying malware to steal credentials and install surveillance software on mobile devices.

In its latest report, Meta described a "small cluster" of WhatsApp accounts that posed as technical support for major tech companies like AOL, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. The company noted that these accounts were blocked after users flagged them as suspicious, and there was no evidence suggesting that any accounts were successfully compromised.

Meta’s findings link this hacking activity to earlier reports from Microsoft and Google, which indicated attempts to breach U.S. presidential campaigns ahead of the November election. The targeted individuals included political and diplomatic officials, business leaders, and other public figures connected to the Biden and Trump administrations.

APT42 is known for its advanced tactics, including placing surveillance software on victims' phones to record calls, steal text messages, and activate cameras and microphones without detection. This revelation underscores ongoing concerns about state-sponsored cyber espionage and its impact on global political stability.

Meta's blog post did not specify the names of the individuals targeted but highlighted the broader implications of such cyber threats. The company's alert serves as a crucial reminder of the need for robust cybersecurity measures, especially for high-profile public figures.