Internet Meta blocks Whatsapp accounts in the USA due to hacker attacks

The US company Meta has blocked several accounts of its messenger service Whatsapp due to suspected Iranian hacker attacks on political actors in the USA. Messages had been sent from these accounts by a "threatening actor" from Iran.

The messages allegedly came from the technology departments of Google, Yahoo or Microsoft, as Meta announced on Friday (local time). The intention behind this was to "attack people in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the USA and the UK".

Specifically, the Iranian hacker group APT42 targeted political and diplomatic personnel as well as other public figures. People with connections to the government of US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump were also affected.

Information passed on

An investigation revealed that the same hacker group that carried out similar attacks on politicians and diplomatic and military personnel reported by the internet companies Microsoft and Google was behind the attack.

"Given the heightened threat environment in the run-up to the US election", Meta said it passed on information about these "malicious activities" to law enforcement agencies and the Republican and Democratic campaign teams for the November presidential election.