LinkedIn says spy firm targeted Hungarian activists, journalists before 2022 election
By Raphael Satter
ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) — Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used LinkedIn to target Hungarian activists and journalists leading to last year's election in the central European country, the professional networking site said on Thursday.
A researcher for Microsoft-owned LinkedIn said Black Cube, based in Israel, created a network of fake personas that used bogus job postings to connect with their targets on the platform.
«Subsequently, video conversations occurred with some of the targets off-platform and clips from those conversations were used as part of a campaign to discredit NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Hungary,» the researcher, Mona Damian, said at the Cyberwarcon conference in Arlington, Virginia.
Damian said a network of fake Black Cube-run LinkedIn accounts had been taken down and that Black Cube's LinkedIn company page had also been removed «given the high volume of abuse and clear violation of our terms of service.»
Black Cube did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The company, which once performed undercover work for Hollywood rapist Harvey Weinstein, has previously said, speaking generally, that it «does not operate in the cyber world» and that its actions were «fully compliant with local laws.»
LinkedIn did not say who the firm might have been working for. It did not respond to a follow-up question seeking details of how many fake accounts it took down. A Hungarian government spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Politico has reported that Black Cube has previously been accused of interfering with Hungary's 2018 elections after undercover operatives secretly taped NGO leaders at upscale
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