Category: Instagram

A Canadian man is arrested in relation to the Snowflake hacks from earlier this year - after a cybersecurity researcher managed to track his identity, and a cryptocurrency-trading Instagram influencer is in trouble with the law. All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
In episode 18 of "The AI Fix" our hosts discover that OpenAI's Advanced Voice mode is too emotional for Europeans, a listener writes a Viking saga about LinkedIn, ChatGPT is a terrible doctor, and the voice of Meta AI takes to Meta's platforms to complain about Meta AI reading things people post on Meta's platforms. Mark discovers what Darth Vader really said on Cloud City, Graham rummages through ChatGPT's false memories, and our hosts find out why AIs need an inner critic. All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of "The AI Fix" podcast by Graham Cluley and Mark Stockley.
Social media fuels conspiracies galore after Donald Trump is shot at a rally, cryptocurrency websites are hijacked after a screw-up at Squarespace, and our guest takes a close look at bottoms on Instagram. All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by Zoë Rose.

Shortly after millions of Facebook and Instagram users encountered difficulties accessing their accounts, speculation quickly arose that a state-funded cyberattack might be to blame.

Mark Zuckerberg, fresh from a vacation in India, promptly took to Twitter, now X, to assure users that his security teams were diligently investigating the issue. He swiftly dismissed the notion of a cyberattack, citing Meta’s robust security measures designed to prevent such incidents.

The outage, which lasted from 10 am ET to 12 pm ET, is estimated to have cost the tech giant a staggering $100 million. With a potential impact on over 500,000 users globally, the outage posed a significant setback for the internet behemoth, which heavily relies on ad revenues and stock prices to maintain its market dominance.

Dav Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities in New York, corroborated the financial impact, noting that the losses could have been even more severe had Meta not implemented prompt business continuity measures.

Curiously, the outage occurred just a day after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan made headlines for their fascination with a $10 million watch owned by Anant Ambani, the younger son of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani. An extravagant pre-marriage celebration hosted by Ambani at Vantara, a National Initiative dedicated to animal welfare, had garnered attention in the media.

It’s worth noting that the outage was attributed to a technical glitch on the servers related to the application programming interface, as revealed by an engineer associated with the company on Reddit.

The post Facebook and Instagram down by Cyber Attack appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Holy mackerel! AI is jumping on the religion bandwagon, ransomware gangs target hospitals, and what's happened to your old mobile phone number? All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by "Ransomware Sommelier" Allan Liska.

In today’s digital age, nearly one in ten individuals possesses a Facebook account, and a comparable user base is anticipated for Instagram, now under the ownership of Meta, the parent company of Facebook. However, the revelation that these platforms extensively gather user data raises concerns about privacy. A recent study by Surfshark sheds light on this data collection practice.

Interestingly, when compared to its competitors, Twitter, another prominent social media platform, is found to collect relatively less data. Nevertheless, Twitter also engages in data collection, albeit with the aim of enhancing user experience.

According to Surfshark’s report, companies owned by Mark Zuckerberg, namely Facebook and Instagram, stand out by collecting all 32 data points analyzed in the study. This includes personal information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, which are utilized to track user activity. Additionally, data like geo-location and browsing content contribute to the creation of user profiles, enabling targeted advertising and services.

The question arises as to whether the collected data is shared with third parties or remains secured on the servers. Although many tech giants claim not to share data, there is an underlying reality where data sharing occurs for analytics and marketing purposes.

In general, social networking and messaging platforms collect various data points, such as email addresses used during sign-up and metadata indicating the creation time of photos or data files. Notably, platforms, excluding Telegram, do not collect specific personal information like political and religious beliefs or health-related data.

Address books, call logs, and SMS history are also collected if users opt to upload, sync, or import such data during sign-up. Financial transaction details conducted through the company’s products, like credit or debit card information and CVVs, are collected and safeguarded. Even Twitter engages in this practice, particularly for premium users.

The question then arises: is it prudent to share such critical details?

While companies argue that storing such data streamlines future transactions and allows for targeted advertising, oversharing can lead to issues like information leaks and identity theft, especially in the event of a cyber-attack on the collecting business.

The post Facebook and Instagram collect immense data from users appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

In today’s modern era, the concept of privacy in our daily lives seems elusive, given the widespread sharing of personal details on various social media platforms. From Facebook and Instagram to WhatsApp, Twitter, and even the notorious Telegram, users often divulge extensive aspects of their lives, only to later express concerns about privacy.

A notable trend on Instagram, a popular platform for sharing photos and videos, is the “Get to Know Me” phenomenon. Users willingly disclose intimate details such as age, phobias, tattoos, piercings, birthmarks, preferences, height, and various personal likes and dislikes.

Eliana Shiloh, a cybersecurity expert at Deloitte, has raised a red flag regarding this trend, labeling it a threat to privacy. Ms. Shiloh expressed her concerns in a TikTok video, sparking 72 instances of privacy concerns and prompting over 100 Instagram users to consider filing complaints against this potential threat with the Facebook-owned subsidiary.

The issue is particularly noticeable among female users who share videos and photos meant to be private but inadvertently expose themselves to a wider audience. Disclosing additional information like age and personal preferences poses a significant risk, potentially attracting the attention of hackers who, with minimal effort, can exploit this information through phishing to uncover more sensitive details.

So, what’s the solution to mitigate this risk?

The solution is straightforward: only disclose necessary details and keep everything else private. Sharing information like age may inadvertently enable hackers to deduce the date of birth, providing a potential entry point for accessing an individual’s private life by navigating through security questions designed to protect online accounts.

It is essential for online users to refrain from sharing critical information such as account credentials, bank details, contact numbers, and personal details about family or children on the internet. Such revelations can draw the unwarranted attention of hackers, who are always on the lookout for digital activities to exploit and invade private lives.

The post Beware of this Instagram trend that compromise Data Privacy appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Don’t minimise your Teams Meeting video call too hastily, you might reveal your dirty secrets! Would you be prepared to pay for Facebook and Instagram? And who is being faked to promote cryptocurrency scams? All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by technology journalist Jane Wakefield. Plus – don’t miss our featured interview with Push Security founder and CEO Adam Bateman.