Group-IB warned the social network Facebook about a large-scale attack on Facebook Messenger users in 84 countries, including Russia. This is stated in the message of an international company specializing in the prevention of cyber attacks and the investigation of high-tech crimes, TASS reported.

Group-IB warned Facebook about a large-scale attack on Facebook Messenger users in 84 countries of the world, including Russia. Group-IB Digital Risk Protection specialists detected 5,700 fraudulent advertising publications and about 1,000 fake social network profiles that were used in this scheme, the message says.

For the first time, experts from Group-IB Digital Risk Protection recorded a fraudulent scheme in the summer of 2020 - then cybercriminals distributed links to download a non-existent Facebook Messenger 'update'. In April 2021, the number of fake Facebook posts offering to install the 'latest update' of the messenger reached 5,700. Users from 84 countries, including Russia, Europe, Asia, the MEA region, North and South America, were attacked.

Group-IB recommends that users download applications and updates only from official mobile application stores, and trust only verified accounts of the companies from which advertising publications are sent, and also advises caution when following short links.