ANEM ALARM: Machines and local media targeted by cyber attacks.

For two consecutive days, the Instagram account of the portal Mašina has been subjected to severe bot attacks. The editorial team of Mašina reported to ANEM that they suspect these bot attacks are organized with the intention of suspending the account, similar to previous attacks on other independent media in Serbia, especially considering that Mašina publishes a significant portion of its reporting on social media.

In just a few hours, the Instagram profile of "Mašina" gained around ten thousand alleged followers. Due to the possibility of the profile being shut down or restricted, the editorial team urged the audience to follow them on their backup profile @masina.video. The profile of photographer Gavrilo Andrić, as well as some local media outlets, has also been subjected to similar bot attacks.

In recent days, Kovinske has also been exposed to cyber attacks. The editorial team reported that attackers are inserting files, changing access credentials, posting links to betting sites, and creating or reporting nonexistent pages. These attacks are occurring during a period of intensified monitoring of student promotions and candidates, which leads the editorial team to suspect a connection between their reporting and these attacks, as was the case with the portal VranjeNews.

ANEM reminds that similar attacks were already recorded earlier this year when several Instagram accounts belonging to media, journalists, activists, and civil society organizations were suspended following a sudden influx of inauthentic followers or mass reports. Among the suspended accounts were profiles from the portal Nova.rs, magazine Radar, the organization Crta, photojournalist Gavrilo Andrić, and others. After the civil society's response and communication with Meta, most of the accounts were reinstated.

The SHARE Foundation at that time warned that a new form of digital censorship in Serbia was initiated at the end of last year through targeted mass following, and that such attacks are likely used to trigger automatic suspensions due to alleged "inauthentic behavior" (although the actual reasons for this tactic have yet to be documented).

ANEM warns that the repetition of the same pattern of attacks indicates that these are not isolated incidents but rather obviously coordinated digital attacks reminiscent of DoS or DDoS attacks, which could fall under Article 299 of the Criminal Code "Computer Sabotage".

We expect such attacks to continue and escalate, which is why we demand an urgent response from the relevant authorities to determine who is behind them and to prevent the shutdown of communication channels for professional media, which are already facing targeting, defamation, threats, and other pressures.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project "Improving the System of Mechanisms for Prevention and Response in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Lives of Journalists in Serbia" is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.