Security News > 2021 > April > Facebook Says Palestinian Intelligence Used Platform to Spy on Citizens
Facebook said Wednesday it had disabled accounts used by the Palestinian Authority's internal intelligence organisation to spy on journalists, human rights activists and political opponents.
In a report, the US social media giant also said it had identified and disabled "Politically motivated" espionage operations by a group believed to be based in Gaza and affiliated with Hamas, the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave.
The report released Wednesday comes ahead of landmark Palestinian legislative elections set for next month that will see the rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Hamas facing off for the first time in 15 years.
The intelligence service used false accounts posing primarily as young women but also "As supporters of Hamas, Fatah, various military groups, journalists and activists" in order "To build trust with people they targeted and trick them into installing malicious software".
Arid Viper's target this time was not Israel, rather Palestinians, including "Individuals associated with pro-Fatah groups, Palestinian government organisations, military and security personnel, and student groups within Palestine," Facebook said.
Arid Viper used "Over a hundred websites that either hosted iOS and Android malware, attempted to steal credentials through phishing or acted as command and control servers," the report said.