SBU officers exposed 2 large bot farms in Odessa and Kyiv regions. There were approximately 7,000 fake accounts in the “army of bots”.
Bot farms were used to distribute destructive content. In particular, to discredit the defense forces of Ukraine and the leadership of the state, to justify the armed aggression of Russia and to undermine the socio-political situation in the country.
A bot farm in the Kyiv region was led by a 24-year-old resident of Zaporozhye
According to the investigation, a 24-year-old native of the Zaporozhye region, who currently lives in the Kiev region, created and administered a bot farm for 5 thousand accounts. For conspiracy, he registered fake accounts through Russian electronic mail services and virtual numbers of Russian and Belarusian mobile operators. In some cases, to verify them, the attacker used fake documents of Ukrainians .
The man rented or sold the finished boots to interested parties, accepting payment for his “services” on a bank card. The investigators established that his “clients” were, in particular, representatives of PR departments of political parties and citizens of Russia promoting destructive and provocative materials in the Ukrainian information space.
During the search law enforcement officers found and seized in the attacker's premises:
- red-handed computer equipment;
- special software.
Soon, the organizer of the bot farm will be informed of suspicion for “unauthorized interference with the operation of information systems.” He may face a restriction of freedom for up to 3 years.
See the photo of how the SBU exposed the bot farms/Photo by the SBU
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Bots spread panic in Odessa region
Four local residents turned out to be the organizers of a bot farm in Odessa region. Their main activity was the creation and promotion of accounts in social networks and instant messengers.
Dealers used them to spread panic in the region, in particular, they dispersed disinformation and fake news from the fronts, the SBU said.
SBU employees confirmed that the clients of the attackers were persons located in Russia. During searches in their apartments, law enforcement officers seized:
- computer equipment,
- 4 servers,
- more than 250 USB modems and mobile phones red-handed;
- bank cards used for settlements with “customers”;
- more than 400 SIM-cards of mobile operators.
The seized equipment was sent to expertise. Law enforcement officers are conducting an investigation to identify all the persons involved in the crime.
After conducting examinations, the attackers plan to report suspicion for:
- collaborative activities,
- unauthorized interference with computers, automated systems, computer networks or telecommunication networks.
