Tagged: hacking Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , hacking,   

    Deceased man’s social media used in crypto scam 

    Deceased man's social media used in crypto scam

    By Greg Collier

    In today’s technological world, social media is crucial in helping us keep in touch with friends and family, even if they’re scattered across the globe. In some cases, social media also helps us keep the memories alive of a loved one that we’ve lost. However, with almost all things digital, not only can those memories be taken from us in an instant, but they can also be used to harm others, as today’s story shows.

    A US Army veteran from California passed away around this time last year. Since then, hackers hijacked one of his social media accounts and blocked the accounts of his relatives. While posing as the deceased vet, the hackers started using the account to ask people to send money through a cryptocurrency scam. To make matters worse, the hackers have also erased all previous posts made by the veteran.

    The veteran’s brother has tried contacting the platform where his brother’s account was, but so far, has not had any kind of official response. Now, the brother has filed a lawsuit against the platform since they allegedly haven’t responded to his requests.

    Preserving a deceased family member’s social media presence can be a meaningful way to honor their memory. Here are some general steps you can take, but keep in mind that specific processes may vary depending on the platform.

    Reach out to the social media platform’s support or customer service. Many platforms have a process for handling accounts of deceased individuals. This might involve providing proof of death, your relationship to the deceased, and other relevant information.

    Facebook allows you to memorialize an account, turning it into a memorial page where friends and family can share memories. To do this, you can submit a memorialization request on Facebook.

    Consider saving and archiving content from the deceased person’s social media accounts, such as photos, posts, and messages. This can be done by taking screenshots or using specific tools designed for this purpose.

    The specific steps and features may change over time, so it’s a good idea to refer to the latest guidelines provided by the social media platforms in question.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 6, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: hacking, , , ,   

    Don’t pay to get your social media accounts back 

    By Greg Collier

    Losing access to your social media accounts can be frustrating. Sometimes it’s as simple as not remembering your password, or no longer having access to the email for that account. Other times it can be malicious as being tricked out of your login credentials by scammers. Scammers especially like to hijack Facebook accounts. Once an account has been hijacked, any number of scams can be perpetrated on anyone in your friends list. One of the more popular scams after hijacking someone’s profile is to list imaginary items for sale on Marketplace, while collecting ‘deposits’ on the item.

    So, what can you do if you’ve been locked out of one of your accounts? Well, what you shouldn’t do is pay someone to get your account back. Scammers are posing as recovery agents who claim they can get you your account back, for a fee, of course.

    One Instagram user was locked out of their account and was approached online by one of these phony recovery services. They told the user they could get their account back for $100. Then the user was asked for an additional $130 so the recovery service could purchase the software they needed. The scammers then told the user the account couldn’t be recovered, but they could delete it for another $50. The account was never deleted.

    Scammers like this pour over social media, waiting for someone to mention they’ve been locked out of one of their accounts. Once someone does that, the scammers follow. You might even receive comments from people who swear they had their accounts recovered by using some service. Those commenters are also scammers.

    While it’s not the optimal way, and it feels like it takes an eternity. The best way to recover your account is through the official account recovery pages from the platform itself. That’s not even a guarantee you’ll get your account back.

    In order to avoid losing access to one of your accounts, strong passwords are recommended. If you have trouble keeping track of your passwords, think about using a password manager. There are several reliable free and paid options. And lastly, never give out your access information to anyone.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 25, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , hacking,   

    Facebook Account Hijacking: How Scammers Exploit Lost Control 

    By Greg Collier

    For some, losing control of your Facebook account may not seem like a big deal. You may only use Facebook sparingly to keep in touch with a handful of friends and relatives. If you lose access to your account, you can just open a new one and send new friend requests while telling your friends list you got hacked. However, letting your Facebook account remain in the hands of hackers can not only leave your friends and family vulnerable to scams, it could also lead to frustrated strangers showing up at your door.

    For example, a woman from Alabama lost control of her Facebook account. Before she knew it, hackers took over her account and changed the password, locking her out of her own account. Then, the hackers posed as the woman and listed several items for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Once other Facebook users started responding to the listings, the hacker told the other users they were out of town, but would hold the item for them if they paid a deposit.

    As you can probably guess, the Facebook users who paid deposits never received the items they thought they were purchasing. Victims of this scam started showing up at the home of the woman who had her account hacked. Thankfully, those who did show up at her home were reasonable when they found out they were scammed. However, it’s no stretch of the imagination to think things may have taken a wrong turn if the wrong person got scammed.

    The woman stated that she’s trying to get Facebook to suspend her original account, but the hacked account is still active.

    Scammers like this love to get their hands on existing Facebook accounts because it makes their Marketplace scams appear legitimate since an active and older account is attached to the listings.

    In conclusion, safeguarding your Facebook account from potential hackers is not only crucial for your personal data but also for your online security. By following these tips and staying vigilant, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to malicious activities. Remember to regularly update your password, enable two-factor authentication, review your privacy settings, and be cautious about the information you share online. Your Facebook account holds a treasure trove of personal information, and taking these proactive steps will help ensure that it remains secure.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 16, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , hacking, ,   

    Twitter hacked in major cryptocurrency scam 

    Twitter hacked in major cryptocurrency scam

    Yesterday, the accounts of some very high profile individuals were compromised in a cryptocurrency scam. Some of the names who had their Twitter accounts hacked include Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Apple Computers just to name a few. As of the time of writing this post, it’s unknown how so many Twitter accounts belonging to so many celebrities and business magnates were hijacked.

    The phony tweets from the hijacked accounts promised that people could double their Bitcoin value if they just send it to a designated Bitcoin wallet. Many of the Tweets said that the poster was feeling generous and wanted to double people’s Bitcoin in support of COVID-19 efforts. By the time the bogus tweets were caught, scammers were able to collect at least $100,000 in cryptocurrency.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tYk4HM_LUw%5D

    While the level of complexity of this scam in unprecedented, the scam itself is not a new one. Crypto-scammers will often post links on social media promising to increase the value of someone’s cryptocurrency if they just send it to the person making the post. In reality, the scammer just takes the person’s cryptocurrency and disappears into the ether.

    You don’t even have to be a cryptocurrency speculator to fall for a very similar scam. If you’ve ever seen the hashtag #CashAppFridays you may know what we’re talking about.

    When the Cash App has one of its weekly giveaways, a number of scammers will use the hashtag with promises of giving people $500 if they give them $50 through Cash App. This is what’s called cash flipping and the Cash App users often find themselves out of the money they gave the scammer.

    These scams are akin to handing your money to a stranger on the street who promised you $50 for $5. Even if they claim to be financial giants like Elon Musk and Bill Gates, no one is giving away free money to random people on the internet. While many of the people hacked in this scam may be philanthropists, their donations generally go to charities and non-profits and not to random Twitter followers.

    (H/T: TechCrunch)

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 18, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Disney+, hacking, , ,   

    Disney+ accounts are under attack 

    Disney+ accounts are under attack

    Disney+ is the home streaming service brought to you by the Walt Disney Company. It just recently launched and is already seen as a competitor to Netflix. It was hugely successful upon its recent launch and it’s easy to understand why. Not only do they provide the famous Disney catalog but they also own many other entertainment properties such as the Marvel movies and former Fox-owned shows like The Simpsons. That’s not even taking the entire Star Wars franchise into account along with the new Star Wars ongoing series The Mandalorian. Of course, where there’s an online success there are people looking to take advantage of that success and Disney+ is no different.

    Within hours of the launch of Disney+, users were already complaining that they had been locked out of their accounts. These compromised accounts are now up for sale on some of the seedier parts of the web. The accounts are going for as little as $3-$11. Many of these accounts were paid for years in advance leaving those affected with little to no recourse. Basically, hackers were gaining access to the accounts with previously compromised email and password combinations. The hackers then change the login information, locking the account’s owner out before putting the account up for sale.

    If you have a Disney+ account and you’re using a password that you’ve used elsewhere, change your password right away. In general, you should never use the same password twice. As always, we recommend using one of the many free password managers out there. If you were thinking about enabling two-factor authentication on your Disney+ account, unfortunately, you can’t. Disney has yet to offer that feature on Dinsey+. You may also want to do a malware scan on your computer as that’s another popular way that scammers and hackers can obtain your passwords.

    You should be enjoying this service and not having to spend hours with customer service trying to get the issue resolved even if you can.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 5, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , hacking,   

    Are hackers spending your money on Facebook? 

    Are hackers spending your money on Facebook?

    Business owners, whether they may be big or small, often take out ads on Facebook. Considering Facebook’s massive reach, placing ads on Facebook is almost considered a no-brainer. In order for businesses to place these ads, they need to enter some kind of payment information on Facebook. That can be either a credit or debit card or some kind of online payment like PayPal. You don’t even have to be a business to place a Facebook ad as anybody can purchase an ad. Now, some hacked Facebook accounts have led to these ads being purchased without the knowledge of the account’s owner.

    CNET is reporting that they’ve received reports of hacked Facebook accounts being used to purchase questionable ads. The ads are then charged to the account of whoever’s account has been compromised while the hackers get their ads served for free. The ads tend to be for some kind of scam product where the hackers are just looking to gain the financial information of more victims. You don’t even have to have a Facebook business account for this to happen. If you’ve ever entered your payment information to Facebook for whatever reason, you could be in jeopardy if your account becomes compromised.

    [youtube https://youtu.be/726i18ZXAi4?t=290%5D

    To better protect yourself against an attack like this is to have a secure password used specifically for your Facebook account. Never use similar passwords for different accounts. While business accounts have to keep an eye out for fraudulent charges, personal accounts can remove their payment information from Facebook. On your Facebook account, click on the settings option then scroll down to the payment information option. Once you click on that you’ll have the option to remove your payment information.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 26, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , hacking, , , , ,   

    When a smart home isn’t so smart 

    When a smart home isn't so smart

    Many people think that they are better securing their home by installing smart devices. These devices can range from anything from cameras to door locks and anything in between. These classes of smart devices are known as the internet of things or IoT for short. That means that these devices are connected to the internet so the user can control them from just about anywhere. The major drawback to IoT devices is that they can also be controlled by bad actors if the user isn’t careful.

    A couple in Milwaukee found that the hard way this week when someone was able to take control of some of their smart devices. The couple had a nest camera and thermostat installed. When one of them came home they found that the thermostat was set at 90 degrees. After that, someone started verbally harassing them through the speaker on their security camera. Even after the couple changed all their passwords the abuse continued until the devices were disconnected. The couple lays the blame at Nest, which is owned by Google, but the fault may lie elsewhere.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbk3OdYBLHA%5D

    It’s not hard to hack into IoT devices if the users are using the same password or weak passwords to secure their network and devices. Also, as we discussed with the recent YouTube hack, two-factor authentication (2FA) should also be enabled on these devices. While 2FA has its own flaws, it’s more secure than using an easily guessed password. These devices are designed to help protect your home, but if you’re not using 2FA it’s like having the most expensive lock that you just leave the key in.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 24, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , hacking, , ,   

    What you can learn from the massive YouTube hack 

    What you can learn from the massive YouTube hack

    Recently, a large number of YouTube channels with substantial subscriber counts had been hijacked by hackers. This way the hackers can sell the accounts to bad actors who can then potentially claim a channel with a large built-in subscriber base. It’s not easy to cultivate a successful YouTube channel. Some creators have spent years carefully growing their audience in a highly competitive market. To possibly see it all disappear in an instant could be a devastating blow to any moderately successful channel.

    The plot against some of YouTube’s creators was a coordinated phishing attack. Authentic looking emails were sent to creators asking them to log into their accounts. Like most phishing attacks, the creators were then directed to phony login pages where the hackers could steal their login credentials. The hackers could then assign the channels to new owners, locking the creators out of their channels. What’s particularly troubling about this attack is that it allegedly bypassed what’s known as two-factor authentication. 2FA, as it’s known, is the process of requiring a user to securely log in to their accounts using a two-step process that usually involves signing in with their log-in credentials then verifying their access request by replying to a text message. it’s believed that the hackers were able to intercept the 2FA messages.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xd4kWSl3Ac%5D

    If you’re not using 2FA, you should be. While it’s not unhackable it does go a long way in stopping someone from accessing your sensitive accounts. While SMS text messages are the most common form of 2FA, they’re not the most secure, however, there are alternatives. One way of protecting yourself is by purchasing a hardware key that works on both your computer or phone that you have to have in your possession to access your accounts. There are also software approaches to 2FA like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, both of which are free.

    Some of these YouTube creators may have lost their life’s work. With a more secure 2FA option you may not have to worry about losing anything important that you access online.

     

  • Geebo 8:05 am on August 14, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , defcon, FAA, hacking, lightning cables, , O.MG Cables, trade war   

    FAA bans Apple product from flights 

    FAA bans Apple product from flights

    Apple has carefully cultivated a reputation for itself of producing a number of reliable products. This week, the company that Steve Jobs made famous has taken some hits to that reputation.

    First, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned certain Apple laptops from being carried on US flights due to battery issues. The laptops in question are 15-inch MacBook Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017 as they have been the target of a recall. The recall was issued due to the fact that in some MacBooks the battery has overheated and caused a fire hazard.

    This isn’t the first time that the FAA has banned a device from being carried aborad planes. Back in 2016, the Samsung Note 7 smartphone was banned from all flights for a similar reason. This was a huge blow to Samsung’s reputation and it has taken the phone manufacturer a while to regain consumer confidence. Will Apple see a similar backlash from frustrated travelers being told they can’t bring their MacBooks on board? It’s unlikely as Apple has such a dedicated userbase that they’ll probably just purchase updated MacBooks from Apple if need be.

    However, that’s not the only technical issue that Apple has had this week. At the cybersecurity conference known as DefCon, a security researcher unveiled an Apple charging cable that could potentially hijack an Apple device. The cables, called O.MG Cables, look like a normal Apple lightning cable that are used to charge Apple devices. However, these cables have malicious devices installed in them that could be used to hijack Apple devices from your iPhone to your MacBook. So, the moral here is to make sure that you use your own charging cable and don’t use just any charging cable you see lying around, especially if you’re at DefCon.

    [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jki0J9kzIa8]

    Lastly, Apple has been hit with an import tariff starting September 1st. In the ongoing trade war China, the Trump Administration will put a 10 percent import tax on smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart speakers, and Bluetooth headphones. Since Apple relies heavily on Chinese manufacturing, this will have a significant effect on their bottom line. Even though Apple could probably absorb the tariff it’s more than likely that they’ll pass these expenses on to the consumer.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 21, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: e-scooters, electric vehicles, hacking, , Regulus, , Tesla Model 3,   

    Teslas hacked and more electric vehicle news! 

    Teslas hacked and more electric vehicle news!

    If you’re in the market for a Tesla Model 3 and want to take advantage of its Enhanced Autopilot feature, you may want to think again. A team of cybersecurity researchers known as Regulus claims that they have been able to hack into a Tesla Model 3 and essentially take remote control of the car while on autopilot. Regulus performed this experiment in a closed location and were successfully able to cause the car to malfunction with parts that can be bought off the shelf. While it’s doubtful that these attacks will become widespread immediately, it does show that autonomous vehicles may not be ready for primetime just yet as many of its proponents claim.

    [youtube https://youtu.be/fJwEpcAQou0%5D

    The State of New York is getting ready to pass legislation that would make electric scooters and bicycles available for rent in their state. However, it will be up to the individual municipalities to determine where the scooters can be ridden and left out for rent. What remains to be seen is how they will be embraced by residents of the Empire State. In many communities such as Seattle and Austin, Texas, many residents have found them to be a public nuisance have taken to throwing the scooters in lakes and rivers. While New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is supporting the new legislation, it will be interesting to see if scooters in the Five Boroughs end up in the Hudson River.

    Lastly, if you own an electric or hybrid vehicle and live in the state of Utah, you may be paying more out of pocket. While only 2% of vehicles in Utah are electric or a hybrid, the state is looking to make up for the loss in revenue when it comes to the highway tax that the state makes off of gasoline sales. Under a voluntary program starting in January, the state would want to charge electric and hybrid drivers 1.5 cents for every mile driven. While a tax like this seems inevitable with many drivers moving on to electric vehicles it will be interesting to see how states enforce such a tax once electric vehicles become more commonplace.

     

← Older posts

c
Compose new post
j
Next post/Next comment
k
Previous post/Previous comment
r
Reply
e
Edit
o
Show/Hide comments
t
Go to top
l
Go to login
h
Show/Hide help
shift + esc
Cancel