F1 team personnel and fans are under threat from a hacking group based in India. The group has targeted multiple people and is using phishing techniques to gain access to private information from social media users. While this is not something new that has been happening to fans, however, interestingly enough, teams in F1 are no longer safe either.
F1’s fanbase has erupted in the past few years, and with that, many have created dedicated accounts on social media. Many posts specifically contain Formula 1-related content, seeing accounts grow to hundreds and thousands of followers. However, not everyone is safe from predators on the internet and more people have fallen victim lately.
The hacking group is based in the Indian city of Gurugram (earlier known as Gurgaon) and they call themselves ‘WhiteInt.’ One user on Twitter described the process the hackers use.
Apparently, they text fans specific links that lead to a so-called F1 ‘group’. The group then asks them to log in from their social media accounts (mostly Instagram and Twitter). From there, the hackers gain access to the users’ accounts.
DON’T DONTTTTT FUCKING CLICK OM IT AND LOG IN LIKE A STUPID PERSON ie me
DON’T DONTTTTT FUCKING CLICK OM IT AND LOG IN LIKE A STUPID PERSON ie me https://t.co/4AFx5QAXJq
F1 teams’ personnel not safe either from Indian hackers
While innocent fans are usually the ones that are the victims of the hacking, recently, F1 teams have lost access to their accounts as well. It has been revealed that Ruth Buscombe (Head of Strategy at Alfa Romeo) and Otmar Szafnauer (team principal at Alpine) have also been trapped by the hackers.
Szafnauer was a victim when he was still with Aston Martin. Social media users have been regularly posting about the techniques used by hackers, mostly from personal experience, to make others aware.
@warlos_wainz I didn’t see this tweet but was wise enof not to click on the link. @warlos_wainz I didn’t see this tweet but was wise enof not to click on the link
Formula 1 is not the only group that has been targeted by WhiteInc. “The Times” earlier revealed that the group has also targeted many British-based companies and the accounts of government officials. It was also revealed that a political editor of BBC fell victim to their techniques.
It has been a while since the group surfaced. Moreover, attacks are bound to increase as the popularity of Formula 1 has sky-rocketed after Netflix’s special series, ‘Drive to Survive’ aired.
Four seasons of the show are out already and two more are promised as the season progresses. The way the entire show is produced has made it possible for newer fan groups to emerge on social media.
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Edited by Nicolaas Ackerman
