November 30, 2023 at 10:06PM
Meta reported it removed over 4,700 Facebook accounts engaged in inauthentic behavior, with some China-related content targeting India and Tibet. Google noticed increased sophisticated cyberattacks from China against Taiwan and various industries, tracking over 100 Beijing-backed groups. Both companies suggest China’s active use of cyber strategies to further its interests internationally.
Here are the clear takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. Meta and Google have reported engaging with offensive cyber operations that they attribute to China.
2. Meta’s Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report detailed the removal of 4,789 Facebook accounts for contravening the platform’s policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior.
3. The deceptive accounts impersonated Americans by using harvested names and profile pictures, sharing equivalent content on different platforms, and frequently posting material sourced from X/Twitter and US mainstream media, aiming to mimic authenticity.
4. The content shared by these accounts ranged from political to neutral topics like gaming, history, fashion, and pets.
5. There was a shift in tactics mid-2023 when a subset of accounts altered their personas from American to Indian, engaging with posts containing allegations against the Dalai Lama.
6. Meta also removed an additional 13 accounts and seven groups from Facebook, which it believes were part of the same operation emanating from China to target primarily India and Tibet, with some activity directed at the United States.
7. According to Meta, this suggests a geo-strategic motive behind the operation, further advancing the assessment that China employs social media to influence narratives favoring its interests.
8. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute corroborates the view that Beijing utilizes social platforms and influencers to disseminate its narratives.
9. Google’s Kate Morgan reported a significant increase in cyberattacks aimed at Taiwan, noting a surge in volume and sophistication over the past six months, with indications that SOHO routers may be exploited for additional attacks against diverse targets, including tech companies, clouds, defense, and governmental entities.
10. Google is tracking over 100 attack groups it believes are supported by Beijing, as per Morgan’s statements during the briefing with Bloomberg. Further details from Google are pending, with The Register requesting more information and promising to update the story accordingly.