Hackers Are Targeting Facebook Users Using Copy Infringement Scam

Hackers are emailing fake copyright infringement notices to Facebook users to obtain their Facebook account credentials.

“This email says that a Facebook account has been suspended. The reason given is that a photo uploaded to the account’s page has violated Facebook’s copyright infringement policy,” said Avanan, a Cloud and Email Security company.

The link in the email leads to a credential-harvesting site, not a page controlled by Meta Platforms Inc. Potential victims have 24 hours to file an appeal using the link or their Facebook accounts will be suspended permanently.

“The best phishing emails are believable and play on urgency. Though this email has a sender address that clearly does not come from Facebook, it’s otherwise fairly believable,” said Jeremy Fuchs, a cybersecurity analyst at Avanan.

Having the account suspended within 24 hours might trick the user to click on the link. It seems reasonable to file a quick appeal if your Facebook page is being used for advertisement or brand awareness.

“That’s where the hackers try to get you. And they are having success, as evidenced by the waves of these emails we’re seeing. When we see a number of similar attacks spoofing the same brand, we know that the hackers are getting people to bite,” said the researchers.

The researchers are unsure of how successful the emails have been, but it’s evident that the hackers got some sort of success. Hackers keep sending phishing emails only when their campaign proves to be working and they’re sending this copyright infringement email explosively.

The cybersecurity researchers suggested users hover over any link before clicking on it to see if it’s from a reliable source. They also suggested double-checking the sender’s address so you know if the email came from an official ID. Accessing your Facebook account directly instead of clicking on any third-party links is also a great practice that prevents credential harvesting.