Fake social media accounts linked to the Chinese Communist Party are posting daily attacks on Lynas Rare Earths Ltd., according to the Australian company.
Cyberprotection experts say the campaign is targeting U.S. and Australian collaboration on critical mineral supply chains. First made public in June, the attacks are focusing on Lynas’ environmental record in Malaysia in an attempt to turn public opinion against a new plant it’s building in Texas with U.S. government funding.
"We see bot posts on various social media every day, and we report them every day, and it’s quite frustrating,” Lynas Chief Executive Officer Amanda Lacaze said in an interview Friday. "It’s very easy to see the bot posts and the messages are exactly the same.”