On October 6th, 2023, Facebook’s official page was hacked, resulting in strange posts filling its timeline. One of the posts demanded the release of ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was arrested in August 2023. This incident raises concerns about the security of Facebook accounts and pages.
Hacking of user accounts and pages on social media is not uncommon, with even high-profile individuals experiencing compromises. However, this particular incident stood out because it involved Facebook’s official page posting bizarre messages criticizing the BCCI for not granting visas to Pakistani cricket fans for the ICC World Cup matches.
The hacker also made a post questioning their access to Facebook and criticizing the event organizers for the visa issue. Screenshots of the hacked page were shared by a user on X (previously Twitter).
DailyMail was the first to report the incident, and Facebook promptly responded by deleting all the posts and issuing a statement acknowledging the compromise. They launched an investigation and took steps to enhance the page’s security. By 11.30 pm, Facebook’s official page was disabled, but many users had already seen the posts.
In the past, there have been instances of hackers targeting prominent individuals, such as when an Egyptian hacker removed Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook timeline cover photo using a private exploit.
Facebook is expected to share further details on this incident, and it serves as a reminder for users to reevaluate the security of their social media profiles. Strong passwords, preferably with two-factor authentication, are recommended, and using unique passwords for different accounts is advised.
Related news on Facebook includes a glitch sending unintended friend requests, the NodeStealer 2.0 posing as ‘Microsoft’ to hack Facebook data, fake Ads Manager software and extensions targeting Facebook accounts, fake ChatGPT and AI pages spreading infostealers on Facebook, and the removal of hundreds of accounts spreading iOS and Android malware.
