Ukraine Police Busted Bot Farms of Pro-Russia Propaganda; 150,000 SIM Cards Seized

The Ukrainian cyberpolice has uncovered a notorious criminal who operated bot farms, spread aggressive propaganda, and committed online fraud.

A bot farm is a collective of bots, which are software programs that perform repetitive tasks, usually online. Bot farms may also be used for malicious or fraudulent activities, such as spreading malware, stealing information, or influencing opinions.

The bot farm will be a massive collection of interconnected mobile devices, perhaps smartphones and tablets. Then, in an effort to increase website traffic, they will perform routine actions such as interacting on social media, watching videos, or just visiting the site itself.

Amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, it has come to light that Russian threat actors have actively engaged in disinformation campaigns specifically aimed at undermining Ukraine.

Furthermore, these threat actors have also made significant investments in bot farms located within Ukraine.

The Cyberpolice has taken down the botfarm named named “Botofarm” last month, and found that pro-Russian groups “used fake accounts in social networks to conduct information and psychological operations of the aggressor, justify the actions of the occupiers, and distribute illegal content.”

The Cyberpolice with the national police together organized 21 authorized searches and seized computer equipment, mobile phones, more than 250 GSM gateways, and about 150 thousand SIM cards of various mobile operators.

Notably, Law Enforcement found residents of Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, and Lviv; more than 100 people were involved in the bot farms.

Furthermore, the criminals employed specialized hardware and software to create thousands of bot accounts across numerous social networks, where they promoted the laws and regulations of Ukraine.

The criminals used the Ukraine citizen’s personal data for internet fraud schemes and for sending knowingly false messages about a threat to the safety of citizens, destruction, or damage to property, reads the advisory.

Due to this incident, an investigation under the Criminal Code of Ukraine has been initiated and is currently ongoing.

Source: https://cybersecuritynews.com/ukraine-police-busted-bot-farms/