Cybercriminals Run Malicious Ads via Facebook

Criminals are hijacking business accounts on Facebook and running their own advertising campaigns, causing financial damage and reputational harm to the account holders. They target marketing agencies by posing as representatives of reputable companies and luring them into downloading malicious files. Once the files are opened, the criminals gain access to the account and steal session tokens and credentials from various browsers. They use the stolen data to distribute their own content, such as fraudulent offers and malware downloads, using the account owner's payment information. The affected parties are left to bear the costs, while the criminals maintain control of the account. In some cases, the criminals also misuse the name of a legitimate brand, causing additional harm. Protecting against such attacks requires vigilance, including logging out after use, using multi-factor authentication, being skeptical of unsolicited links, and using a password manager.