New York Times: This Surveillance Artist Knows How You Got That Perfect Instagram Photo. “A tech-savvy artist unearthed video footage of people working hard to capture the perfect shot for Instagram. It is a lesson in the artifice of social media and the ubiquity of surveillance.”
MakeUseOf: The 6 Best Authenticator Apps for 2FA and Other Enhanced Account Security. “Even if you use a unique username and password combination for all your accounts (which is unlikely), it could still be compromised through brute-force hacking, social engineering, or phishing. That’s why you should use a two-factor authenticator (2FA) app. But with so many options out there, which should you use? Let’s check out the six best 2FA apps for securing your online accounts.”
BBC: Did misinformation fan the flames in Leicester?. “We’ve spent the past week trying to unpick some of the false claims in and about Leicester and tried to see how much they spread both in the run-up to the disorder and the aftermath. Temporary chief constable Rob Nixon told BBC Two’s Newsnight there had been a deliberate attempt by people to use social media in a destructive way.”
Washington Post: Health apps share your concerns with advertisers. HIPAA can’t stop it.. “In a nation with millions of uninsured families and a shortage of health professionals, many of us turn to health-care apps and websites for accessible information or even potential treatment. But when you fire up a symptom-checker or digital therapy app, you might be unknowingly sharing your concerns with more than just the app maker.”
Washington Post: The online incel movement is getting more violent and extreme, report says. “The most prominent forum for men who consider themselves involuntarily celibate or ‘incels’ has become significantly more radicalized over the past year and a half and is seeking to normalize child rape, a new report says. The report, by the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s new Quant Lab, is the culmination of an investigation that analyzed more than 1 million posts on the site. It found a marked spike in conversations about mass murder and growing approval of sexually assaulting prepubescent girls.”Washington Post: The online incel movement is getting more violent and extreme, report says
Krebs on Security: Accused Russian RSOCKS Botmaster Arrested, Requests Extradition to U.S.. “A 36-year-old Russian man recently identified by KrebsOnSecurity as the likely proprietor of the massive RSOCKS botnet has been arrested in Bulgaria at the request of U.S. authorities. At a court hearing in Bulgaria this month, the accused hacker requested and was granted extradition to the United States, reportedly telling the judge, ‘America is looking for me because I have enormous information and they need it.’”
Washington Post: Scams are showing up at the top of online searches. “Add one more to the list of online places bad guys are hiding: the very top of search results. Nasty scams and malware are preying on your trust by hiding behind the ads that sit on top of search pages. Google, DuckDuckGo and Bing are being paid to put them in front of us, and they haven’t figured out how to stop it.” The link I’ve put in this item is a gift article, so you’ll be able to read it even if you’re not a WP subscriber.
Bleeping Computer: Death of Queen Elizabeth II exploited to steal Microsoft credentials. “Threat actors are exploiting the death of Queen Elizabeth II in phishing attacks to lure their targets to sites that steal their Microsoft account credentials. Besides Microsoft account details, the attackers also attempt to steal their victims’ multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes to take over their accounts.”
CNET: Uber Investigating Computer System Breach. “Uber’s computer network was breached on Thursday, leading the ride-hailing giant to take several internal communications and engineering systems offline as it investigated the hack, The New York Times reported.”
Bleeping Computer: Google says former Conti ransomware members now attack Ukraine. “Google says some former Conti cybercrime gang members, now part of a threat group tracked as UAC-0098, are targeting Ukrainian organizations and European non-governmental organizations (NGOs). UAC-0098 is an initial access broker known for using the IcedID banking trojan to provide ransomware groups with access to compromised systems within enterprise networks.”
Los Angeles Times: FBI, DHS join probe into massive LAUSD cyberattack as school goes on . “The cyberattack that disabled computer systems across the Los Angeles Unified School District school was criminal in nature, but by Tuesday most online services — including key emergency systems — were operating safely.”
Bleeping Computer: Minecraft is hackers’ favorite game title for hiding malware. “Security researchers have discovered that Minecraft is the most heavily abused game title by cybercriminals, who use it to lure unsuspecting players into installing malware. Based on stats collected by the security firm between July 2021 and July 2022, Minecraft-related files accounted for roughly 25% of malicious files spreading via game brand abuse, followed by FIFA (11%), Roblox (9.5%), Far Cry (9.4%), and Call of Duty (9%).”
Engadget: The IRS says it accidentally exposed confidential information involving 120,000 taxpayers. “Around 120,000 taxpayers who filed a Form 990-T will be hearing from the IRS in the coming weeks, telling them that the agency inadvertently exposed their information on its website. Exempted organizations, including charities and religious groups, with unrelated business income are required to file Form 990-T. As The Wall Street Journal notes, though, people with individual retirement accounts invested in assets that generate income, such as real estate, are also required to file the form.”
