The Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) said that since the start of 2022 it had dismantled 5 bot farms with over 100,000 fake social media accounts spreading fake news.
The aim of the network, which operated in Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Ternopil, and Zakarpattia, was to destabilize the sociopolitical situation in regions across the country and instill panic among Ukrainian citizens by spreading disinformation about the Russian invasion.
During the raids the police have found and seized over 100 GSM gateways, 10,000 SIM cards for various mobile operators to disguise the malicious activity, as well as laptops and computer equipment containing evidence of the fraudulent activity.
In related news, the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) announced on Monday it discovered a phishing campaign distributing the PseudoSteel malware via phishing emails ostensibly containing information about the loses of Ukrainian troops. CERT-UA has linked this campaign to the UAC-0010 (Armageddon) Russian threat group.
Cybersecurity Help’s statement on the critical situation in Ukraine
On February 24, people in many cities and towns across Ukraine woke up to the sounds of explosions and artillery fire, as the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of the country. Such actions are unacceptable, political ambitions of any man aren’t worth of blood, tears, and destruction of millions of lives. We give our full support to the Ukrainian people in these hard times. No more war! Слава Україні!