A bizarre action of WOT on the Internet. “Now we need to protect those who gave hearts”

The Territorial Defense Forces heated up the Internet on Tuesday with their bizarre post on social media. First, a post was published asking soldiers to tag themselves with a heart emoji, which sparked much criticism. After a few hours, the post disappeared and a message appeared saying “account hacked”. This entry has also been deleted. However, a statement was published in which WOT assured that there was no attack, and the whole situation was supposed to be a “test of vigilance” for soldiers. .

“Social media is an excellent tool for investigative activities”

However, this “test” has its price. Expert Michał Jarski, who deals with cybersecurity at the American company Forcepoint, specializing in software ensuring data security and controlling cloud applications, estimates in an interview with Next.gazeta.pl that the action may have wide-reaching consequences.

– It is no big secret that social media are an excellent tool used, among others, for: performing investigative activities leading to the identification of people who could be either attracted to the opponent’s side or subjected to blackmail. This may pose a direct threat to the life of the person or their family – explains Michał Jarski in an interview with us.

Military social media is a slippery slope. They need to be handled sensitively

The expert believes that social media of such important institutions as the Territorial Defense Forces should be conducted with due diligence and seriously. – All matters related to defense and the country’s readiness to handle critical events should be treated with the utmost seriousness – he says. And while publishing information about recruitment in them is highly advisable, publishing personal details is very irresponsible. – Any incidents revealing the identities of soldiers, policemen or people who work in sectors that require the utmost seriousness and care are extremely dangerous. The highest standards of protection for this type of information really need to be applied here. After all, it’s about safety, and often health and life of people – emphasizes Jarski.

Soldiers and even policemen should be aware of this. Cybersecurity training is regularly conducted for them. Even the Cyberspace Operations Team of the Territorial Defense Forces operates at WOT. – All soldiers have instructions not to reveal their identity on social media. A little bit safe, so that no one could use it against them – says Michał Jarski.

Nothing is lost on the Internet. Unfortunately…

Unfortunately, when such a mistake occurs, the only way is to eliminate the losses. – If the data has already been disclosed, the only thing that can be done is to simply remove it and hope that such an entry did not attract too much attention – adds the expert. – In the future, it should be a good habit not to involve people who wear uniforms, whether every day or on special occasions, in promotional activities. Especially those who are directly involved in some operation, he says.

However, it is important to remember that “social media does not forget.” – Even if the post was taken down, there are traces of this activity somewhere and will be there for a long time. We now need to additionally protect those who gave these “hearts” – sums up Michał Jarski.