In the past 3 days hackers loyal to the Syrian regime have hacked and attacked numerous opposition activist Facebook profiles and pages which promote and help organize the Syrian opposition. I have recorded at least 4 Facebook pages and at least 9 Facebook profiles that have been hacked. I have also been told of another 4 profiles that have been hacked and am awaiting confirmation regarding their status. As the war on the ground wages on against the vastly peaceful uprising, an online war is also being waged to silence the activists who spend most of their waking hours alerting the world to the human travesty taking place in Syria. Without journalists on the ground to report on the situation or the presence of human rights groups or UN observers, there is literally no one left to witness the situation in Syria but these brave activists.
From what sources have told me, it is highly likely that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who have advisers present in Syria, are helping the regime track down and hack Facebook profiles, pages, twitters accounts and other social media mediums used by opposition activists. The information from these hacked accounts can be used to track down other activists, disable their account or worse, track them down in real life for arrest, torture and even execution. Every-time an activist has their account hacked, anyone who is friends with this person must de-friend them (if its Facebook), distance themselves digitally from said activist and go into hiding if necessary.
Two methods have emerged in which hackers loyal to the regime have used to take control of Facebook pages and profiles: 1) hacker hacks and takes control of the personal profile of an activist who is an administrator of an opposition Facebook page. Hacked profile is then used to expel all other administrators from the Facebook page, leaving the hacker in sole control of the Facebook profile and page; 2) hacker posts link of Facebook page wall which asks for a personal password from anyone who clicks on the link and is disguised as something that looks official from Facebook. The link is usually a "phishing" program which then steals the password and provides it to the hacker who can then take over said activist's profile.
In the beginning of the revolution many activists were tracked down and arrested by the regime because they were new to Facebook and other online social media. Activists have become much more sophisticated in their methods for remaining undetected as they navigate the digital world - and as a result so have the methods of the regime's online security apparatus. If the international community refuses to intervene in any serious way to ensure the safety of protesters, the least they can do is allow the activists on the ground who are risking their lives to report the news via all available social media platforms - free of interference. I urge all activists operating online to change their passwords and their online names frequently. Do not click any links pasted on your personal profile walls or on the walls of Facebook pages unless you can verify their authenticity and never enter your personal password into any links that request your personal password.
From what sources have told me, it is highly likely that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who have advisers present in Syria, are helping the regime track down and hack Facebook profiles, pages, twitters accounts and other social media mediums used by opposition activists. The information from these hacked accounts can be used to track down other activists, disable their account or worse, track them down in real life for arrest, torture and even execution. Every-time an activist has their account hacked, anyone who is friends with this person must de-friend them (if its Facebook), distance themselves digitally from said activist and go into hiding if necessary.
Two methods have emerged in which hackers loyal to the regime have used to take control of Facebook pages and profiles: 1) hacker hacks and takes control of the personal profile of an activist who is an administrator of an opposition Facebook page. Hacked profile is then used to expel all other administrators from the Facebook page, leaving the hacker in sole control of the Facebook profile and page; 2) hacker posts link of Facebook page wall which asks for a personal password from anyone who clicks on the link and is disguised as something that looks official from Facebook. The link is usually a "phishing" program which then steals the password and provides it to the hacker who can then take over said activist's profile.
In the beginning of the revolution many activists were tracked down and arrested by the regime because they were new to Facebook and other online social media. Activists have become much more sophisticated in their methods for remaining undetected as they navigate the digital world - and as a result so have the methods of the regime's online security apparatus. If the international community refuses to intervene in any serious way to ensure the safety of protesters, the least they can do is allow the activists on the ground who are risking their lives to report the news via all available social media platforms - free of interference. I urge all activists operating online to change their passwords and their online names frequently. Do not click any links pasted on your personal profile walls or on the walls of Facebook pages unless you can verify their authenticity and never enter your personal password into any links that request your personal password.
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