Facebook’s social media accounts were momentarily taken over by a group of hackers on Friday afternoon. The hacking group OurMine posted on Twitter and Instagram accounts for Facebook and Messenger, writing, “even Facebook is hackable.”
The accounts have now been restored. OurMine claims its attacks are to try to show cyber vulnerabilities. In January, it hijacked over a dozen accounts for groups within the US National Football League.
The group posted an announcement on Facebook’s Twitter account. “Hi, we are OurMine. Well, even Facebook is hackable; however, no less than their security is better than Twitter.” It additionally hijacked Facebook and Messenger accounts on Instagram to post a photo of OurMine’s logo. Facebook’s website was not hacked.
Twitter confirmed that the hacking occurred through a third-party and that accounts had been locked once it was alerted to the problem. The assault on Facebook appears to have adopted a similar hack on groups within the National Football League. The accounts seem to have been accessed through the third-party platform Khoros.
The group claims its attacks are designed to point out a lack of safety. But it plainly also instructs victims to use its services to enhance safeguards.