Iranian hacker create fake Facebook profiles to spy on targets

Iranian hackers created a fake news website and several fake Facebook profiles as they launched a three-year campaign to spy on US politicians and military officers, according to a report, Reuters reported.

According to security firm iSight Partners, fake social media personas were created by the hackers who had complex backgrounds, which were then used to contact targets. The targets were sent legitimate content before trying to gain access to government and corporate networks using the malware.

According to the company, the hackers also intimated their interest in specific defence technology as also military and diplomat information by their targeting.

The targets of the hackers included ambassadors, a four-star Navy admiral and lawmakers, and personnel from countries including Britain, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

iSight did not disclose whether the identity of any victims or if any data has been stolen, but according to the firm's executive vice president Tiffany Jones if it had been ongoing for years then they clearly would have had success.

The group set up a fake news site called NewsOnAir.org which republished articles from the BBC, Reuters and the Associated Press under the names of six fake journalists as part of their campaign.