Fake news ABOUT A RADIOACTIVE WASTE LEAK
March 17, 2021
Hackers fabricate a report of an alleged radioactive cloud that formed in Lithuania and is moving towards Poland. The attack originated in a hacked website of Lithuania’s nuclear regulatory agency, a breached website of Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency and the country’s ministry of health. In the attack, hijacked social media accounts of experts and local government officials are also used.
F A K E
CONTINUE
How the attack unfolded
06
01
02
03
04
05
Expert’s
Hijacked accounts
of government officials are used to spam social media
hacked Twitter account lends credibility to the fake report
Source content
an authentic communication from Lithuania’s State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI)
Hacked website
of Poland’s ministry of health containing a warning about a radiological hazard
Fabricated website
of Lithuania’s Inspectorate with manipulated fake news about a ‘disaster’
Hacked website
of Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency and fake post about an increase in radiation levels
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Original message: VATESI on the decommissioning of the radioactive waste storage facility
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01
02
03
04
05
~5:00 AM
Lithuanian websites publish the original VATESI communication (State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate) about public consultations on the decommissioning of the radioactive waste storage facility The agency says that the radioactive waste is secure and does not pose a threat. The communication will be used as source material to create fake news.
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Fabricated website with fake news about a ‘distaster’
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01
02
03
04
05
F A K E
~9:45 AM
Hackers register the VATESL.LT domain (an exact copy of VATESI.LT) and publish a page with a fabricated article that contains fake information about a leak of radioactive materials from a decommissioned storage facility
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NEXT
Hackers gain access to the Atomic Energy Agency website
06
01
02
03
04
05
~9:55 AM
Hackers get into the CMS of the National Atomic Energy Agency website and publish a fake communication about increased radiation levels. To lend the story credibility, the article redirects to a fabricated Lithuanian website as a source of information. A copy of the webpage is created on Webarchives.org in case the fake news is removed.
F A K E
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Hackers gain access to Ministry of Health website
06
01
02
03
04
05
~11:30 AM
F A K E
Hackers hijack Poland’s ministry of health website and publish a fabricated article about a radiological threat based on a fake message from National Atomic Energy Agency To lend the news even more credibility, they supplement it with information on radiation sickness from Polish medical websites.
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Fake news is disseminated via expert accounts on Twitter
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03
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05
~12:00 PM
READ
F A K E
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Fake news is disseminated via government officials
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04
05
READ
F A K E
PREVIOUS
END
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Transcript
Fake news ABOUT A RADIOACTIVE WASTE LEAK
March 17, 2021
Hackers fabricate a report of an alleged radioactive cloud that formed in Lithuania and is moving towards Poland. The attack originated in a hacked website of Lithuania’s nuclear regulatory agency, a breached website of Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency and the country’s ministry of health. In the attack, hijacked social media accounts of experts and local government officials are also used.
F A K E
CONTINUE
How the attack unfolded
06
01
02
03
04
05
Expert’s
Hijacked accounts
of government officials are used to spam social media
hacked Twitter account lends credibility to the fake report
Source content
an authentic communication from Lithuania’s State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI)
Hacked website
of Poland’s ministry of health containing a warning about a radiological hazard
Fabricated website
of Lithuania’s Inspectorate with manipulated fake news about a ‘disaster’
Hacked website
of Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency and fake post about an increase in radiation levels
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Original message: VATESI on the decommissioning of the radioactive waste storage facility
06
01
02
03
04
05
~5:00 AM
Lithuanian websites publish the original VATESI communication (State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate) about public consultations on the decommissioning of the radioactive waste storage facility The agency says that the radioactive waste is secure and does not pose a threat. The communication will be used as source material to create fake news.
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Fabricated website with fake news about a ‘distaster’
06
01
02
03
04
05
F A K E
~9:45 AM
Hackers register the VATESL.LT domain (an exact copy of VATESI.LT) and publish a page with a fabricated article that contains fake information about a leak of radioactive materials from a decommissioned storage facility
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Hackers gain access to the Atomic Energy Agency website
06
01
02
03
04
05
~9:55 AM
Hackers get into the CMS of the National Atomic Energy Agency website and publish a fake communication about increased radiation levels. To lend the story credibility, the article redirects to a fabricated Lithuanian website as a source of information. A copy of the webpage is created on Webarchives.org in case the fake news is removed.
F A K E
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Hackers gain access to Ministry of Health website
06
01
02
03
04
05
~11:30 AM
F A K E
Hackers hijack Poland’s ministry of health website and publish a fabricated article about a radiological threat based on a fake message from National Atomic Energy Agency To lend the news even more credibility, they supplement it with information on radiation sickness from Polish medical websites.
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Fake news is disseminated via expert accounts on Twitter
06
01
02
03
04
05
~12:00 PM
READ
F A K E
PREVIOUS
NEXT
Fake news is disseminated via government officials
06
01
02
03
04
05
READ
F A K E
PREVIOUS
END
06
01
02
03
04
05
Reporter's Foundation