Sri Lankan Facebook users face threat of Internet hackers

Sri Lankan Facebook users are facing a threat of Internet hackers who pose as pretty girls or handsome men on Facebook to earn big money by hacking into email accounts and Facebook accounts and hold account-holders to ransom.

The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Response Team (SLCERT) has warned of an organized group of hackers acting in collusion and trying to carry out criminal activity for financial gain.

These cyber criminals are on the increase, Information Security Engineer of SLCERT Sri Lanka Rohana Palliyaguru told the Business Times.

In the past six months SLCERT has received 180 complaints from victims of cyber crime which also includes complaints from email users. The Criminal Investigation Department is investigating these complaints. According to the Computer Crimes Act No. 24 of 2007, such crimes are subject to a jail term of upto two years and a fine of upto Rs 3,000, or both.

Facebook has become a favourite hunting ground for hackers resulting in people with malicious intent searching for their victims within the Facebook network. Identity theft is the most common crime on Facebook where hackers create a fake profile after stealing the information from the Internet and use it to take advantage.

Hackers use a number of different techniques to make money out of Facebook, using stolen information, he said. The modus operandi of these hackers was changing passwords after hacking into Facebook profiles which prevents the owner of the respective Facebook profile from accessing his or her own account. The hackers are in the habit of demanding ransom from the Facebook owners whose accounts have been hacked to release the password or else face the consequence of destroying their reputation.

Once hackers enter a Facebook profile, they will be able change or alter anything endangering the reputation of the owner of the profile, Mr Palliyaguru added. He requested Facebook users not to accept a ‘friend’ request unless you are certain of his/her identity. “Don’t get influenced by the attractive photos or messages sent along with the request and don’t click on any links provided by unknown people,” he warned.