Group-IB spottted new fake messages about the coronavirus during the day

Group-IB, a company that specializes in preventing cyberattacks has revealed new fake messages about the spread of coronavirus over the past day.

Company Group-IB reported that information about accounts spreading fakes about the coronavirus was transmitted to law enforcement agencies.

“The data obtained by Group-IB specialists about the accounts involved in the distribution of fake audio messages about the coronavirus was transmitted to law enforcement agencies. The bots were focused on the active distribution of a specific fake, although some bots were registered a couple of years ago with the same creation date,” reported press service of the company.

In addition, Group-IB experts have identified new fake messages about the coronavirus over the past day and warned that there is still a possibility of new fakes. “It is important to use information from trusted sources and be critical of rumors and possible misinformation,” added the press service said.
Group-IB works closely with the administration of social networks, including Facebook and VKontakte, and with forum moderators to remove misinformation about the spread of a new type of coronavirus.

Group-IB launched an investigation into the spread of information about a large-scale infection of Moscow residents with coronavirus in early March. By March 2, the company’s experts had recorded 9500 posts, reposts, and publications that broadcast fake news about allegedly 20,000 sick Russians.
On March 4, Roskomnadzor began blocking access to resources that spread fake information about the coronavirus in Russia. The Agency has already entered several messages in social networks in the register of information prohibited in Russia at the request of the Prosecutor General’s office.

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the government said that false reports of coronavirus in Russia are spread from abroad. According to Putin, in fact, nothing critical in terms of the coronavirus is happening.

According to Putin, “the purpose of such fakes is clear – to spread panic among the public”, and this can only be countered by timely and reliable information of the country’s citizens.