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OpenAI Blocks 20 Global Malicious Campaigns Using AI for Cybercrime and Disinformation

OpenAI Blocks 20 Global Malicious Campaigns Using AI for Cybercrime and Disinformation

Oct 10, 2024 Cybercrime / Disinformation
OpenAI on Wednesday said it has disrupted more than 20 operations and deceptive networks across the world that attempted to use its platform for malicious purposes since the start of the year. This activity encompassed debugging malware, writing articles for websites, generating biographies for social media accounts, and creating AI-generated profile pictures for fake accounts on X. "Threat actors continue to evolve and experiment with our models, but we have not seen evidence of this leading to meaningful breakthroughs in their ability to create substantially new malware or build viral audiences," the artificial intelligence (AI) company said . It also said it disrupted activity that generated social media content related to elections in the U.S., Rwanda, and to a lesser extent India and the European Union, and that none of these networks attracted viral engagement or sustained audiences. This included efforts undertaken by an Israeli commercial company named STOIC (als
Social Media Accounts: The Weak Link in Organizational SaaS Security

Social Media Accounts: The Weak Link in Organizational SaaS Security

Oct 09, 2024 SaaS Security / Identity Security
Social media accounts help shape a brand's identity and reputation. These public forums engage directly with customers as they are a hub to connect, share content and answer questions. However, despite the high profile role these accounts have, many organizations overlook social media account security. Many lack the safeguards to prevent unauthorized access — a situation no organization wants as it can quickly spiral to include reputational damage and financial losses.  With the impact this high, the need for deep understanding of social media risks as well as how to protect an organization's social media account are more crucial than ever. This article dives into the details of social media accounts, how social media can be misused and how to protect oneself. Understanding the Layers of Social Media Access Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn typically have two layers of access.  The Public Facing Page : where brands post content and engage with users.  The Advertis
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E.U. Court Limits Meta's Use of Personal Facebook Data for Targeted Ads

E.U. Court Limits Meta's Use of Personal Facebook Data for Targeted Ads

Oct 07, 2024 Data Privacy / Advertising
Europe's top court has ruled that Meta Platforms must restrict the use of personal data harvested from Facebook for serving targeted ads even when users consent to their information being used for advertising purposes, a move that could have serious consequences for ad-driven companies operating in the region. "An online social network such as Facebook cannot use all of the personal data obtained for the purposes of targeted advertising, without restriction as to time and without distinction as to type of data," the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) said in a ruling on Friday. In other words, social networks, such as Facebook, cannot keep using users' personal data for ad targeting indefinitely, the court said, adding limits must be set in place in order to comply with the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) data minimization requirements. It's worth noting that Article 5(1)(c) of GDPR necessitates that companies limit the process
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Meta Fined €91 Million for Storing Millions of Facebook and Instagram Passwords in Plaintext

Meta Fined €91 Million for Storing Millions of Facebook and Instagram Passwords in Plaintext

Sep 30, 2024 GDPR / Data Privacy
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Meta €91 million ($101.56 million) as part of a probe into a security lapse in March 2019, when the company disclosed that it had mistakenly stored users' passwords in plaintext in its systems. The investigation, launched by the DPC the next month, found that the social media giant violated four different articles under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To that end, the DPC faulted Meta for failing to promptly notify the DPC of the data breach, document personal data breaches concerning the storage of user passwords in plaintext, and utilize proper technical measures to ensure the confidentiality of users' passwords. Meta originally revealed that the privacy transgression led to the exposure of a subset of users' Facebook passwords in plaintext, although it noted that there was no evidence it was improperly accessed or abused internally. According to Krebs on Security , some of
Telegram Agrees to Share User Data With Authorities for Criminal Investigations

Telegram Agrees to Share User Data With Authorities for Criminal Investigations

Sep 24, 2024 Data Privacy / Cybercrime
In a major policy reversal, the popular messaging app Telegram has announced it will give users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to valid legal requests in an attempt to rein in criminal activity on the platform. "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests," Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said in a post. To that end, the company now explicitly states - "If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities." Such data disclosures, it said, will be included in its periodic transparency reports . It further noted that the service may collect metadata
Discord Introduces DAVE Protocol for End-to-End Encryption in Audio and Video Calls

Discord Introduces DAVE Protocol for End-to-End Encryption in Audio and Video Calls

Sep 23, 2024 Encryption / Data Protection
Popular social messaging platform Discord has announced that it's rolling out a new custom end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) protocol to secure audio and video calls. The protocol has been dubbed DAVE , short for Discord's audio and video end-to-end encryption ("E2EE A/V"). As part of the change introduced last week, voice and video in DMs, Group DMs, voice channels, and Go Live streams are expected to be migrated to use DAVE. That said, it's worth noting that messages on Discord will remain unencrypted and are subject to its content moderation approach. "When we consider adding new privacy features like E2EE A/V, we do not do so in isolation from safety," Discord said . "That is why safety is integrated across our product and policies, and why messages on Discord are unencrypted." "Messages will still be subject to our content moderation approach, allowing us to continue offering additional safety protections." DAVE is publicly au
LinkedIn Halts AI Data Processing in U.K. Amid Privacy Concerns Raised by ICO

LinkedIn Halts AI Data Processing in U.K. Amid Privacy Concerns Raised by ICO

Sep 21, 2024 Privacy / Artificial Intelligence
The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has confirmed that professional social networking platform LinkedIn has suspended processing users' data in the country to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models. "We are pleased that LinkedIn has reflected on the concerns we raised about its approach to training generative AI models with information relating to its U.K. users," Stephen Almond, executive director of regulatory risk, said . "We welcome LinkedIn's confirmation that it has suspended such model training pending further engagement with the ICO." Almond also said the ICO intends to closely keep an eye on companies that offer generative AI capabilities, including Microsoft and LinkedIn, to ensure that they have adequate safeguards in place and take steps to protect the information rights of U.K. users. The development comes after the Microsoft-owned company admitted to training its own AI on users' data without seeking their exp
Meta to Train AI Models Using Public U.K. Facebook and Instagram Posts

Meta to Train AI Models Using Public U.K. Facebook and Instagram Posts

Sep 17, 2024 Artificial Intelligence / Regulatory Compliance
Meta has announced that it will begin training its artificial intelligence (AI) systems using public content shared by adult users across Facebook and Instagram in the U.K. in the coming months. "This means that our generative AI models will reflect British culture, history, and idiom, and that U.K. companies and institutions will be able to utilize the latest technology," the social media behemoth said . As part of the process, users aged 18 and above are expected to receive in-app notifications starting this week on both Facebook and Instagram, explaining its modus operandi and how they can readily access an objection form to deny their data being used to train the company's generative AI models. The company said it will honor users' choices and that it won't contact users who have already objected to their data being used for their purpose. It also noted that it will not include private messages with friends and family, as well as information from accounts
French Authorities Charge Telegram CEO with Facilitating Criminal Activities on Platform

French Authorities Charge Telegram CEO with Facilitating Criminal Activities on Platform

Aug 29, 2024 Online Crime / Privacy
French prosecutors on Wednesday formally charged Telegram CEO Pavel Durov with facilitating a litany of criminal activity on the popular messaging platform and placed him under formal investigation following his arrest Saturday. Russian-born Durov, who is also a French citizen, has been charged with being complicit in the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as well as enabling organized crime, illicit transactions, drug trafficking, and fraud. Durov has also been charged with a "refusal to communicate, at the request of competent authorities, information or documents necessary for carrying out and operating interceptions allowed by law," according to an English translation of the press release. The 39-year-old was detained at Le Bourget airport north of Paris at 8 p.m. local time on Saturday after disembarking from a private jet. To avoid pretrial detention, Durov has been ordered to pay a €5 million bail, but he is barred from leaving the country and must rep
Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Arrested in France for Content Moderation Failures

Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Arrested in France for Content Moderation Failures

Aug 25, 2024 Law Enforcement / Digital Privacy
Pavel Durov, founder and chief executive of the popular messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France on Saturday, according to French television network TF1. Durov is believed to have been apprehended pursuant to a warrant issued in connection with a preliminary police investigation. TF1 said the probe was focused on a lack of content moderation on the instant messaging service, which the authorities took issue with, turning the app into a haven for various kinds of criminal activity, including drug trafficking, child pornography, money laundering, and fraud. The hands-off approach to moderation on Telegram has been a point of contention , fueling cybercrime and turning the platform into a hub for threat actors to organize their operations, distribute malware, and peddle stolen data and other illegal goods  "This messaging app has transformed into a bustling hub where seasoned cybercriminals and newcomers alike exchange illicit tools and insights creating a dark and well-
Meta Exposes Iranian Hacker Group Targeting Global Political Figures on WhatsApp

Meta Exposes Iranian Hacker Group Targeting Global Political Figures on WhatsApp

Aug 24, 2024 Election Security / Threat Intelligence
Meta Platforms on Friday became the latest company after Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI to expose the activities of an Iranian state-sponsored threat actor, who it said used a set of WhatsApp accounts that attempted to target individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the U.K., and the U.S. The activity cluster, which originated from Iran, "appeared to have focused on political and diplomatic officials, and other public figures, including some associated with administrations of President Biden and former President Trump," Meta said . The social media giant attributed it to a nation-state actor tracked as APT42, which is also known as Charming Kitten, Damselfly, Mint Sandstorm (formerly Phosphorus), TA453, and Yellow Garuda. It's assessed to be linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The adversarial collective is well-known for its use of sophisticated social engineering lures to spear-phish targets of interest with malware and steal their credenti
OpenAI Blocks Iranian Influence Operation Using ChatGPT for U.S. Election Propaganda

OpenAI Blocks Iranian Influence Operation Using ChatGPT for U.S. Election Propaganda

Aug 17, 2024 National Securit / AI Ethics
OpenAI on Friday said it banned a set of accounts linked to what it said was an Iranian covert influence operation that leveraged ChatGPT to generate content that, among other things, focused on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. "This week we identified and took down a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that were generating content for a covert Iranian influence operation identified as Storm-2035," OpenAI said . "The operation used ChatGPT to generate content focused on a number of topics — including commentary on candidates on both sides in the U.S. presidential election – which it then shared via social media accounts and websites." The artificial intelligence (AI) company said the content did not achieve any meaningful engagement, with a majority of the social media posts receiving negligible to no likes, shares, and comments. It further noted it had found little evidence that the long-form articles created using ChatGPT were shared on social media platforms.
Attackers Exploit Public .env Files to Breach Cloud Accounts in Extortion Campaign

Attackers Exploit Public .env Files to Breach Cloud Accounts in Extortion Campaign

Aug 16, 2024 Cloud Security / Application Security
A large-scale extortion campaign has compromised various organizations by taking advantage of publicly accessible environment variable files (.env) that contain credentials associated with cloud and social media applications. "Multiple security missteps were present in the course of this campaign, including the following: Exposing environment variables, using long-lived credentials, and absence of least privilege architecture," Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 said in a Thursday report. The campaign is notable for setting up its attack infrastructure within the infected organizations' Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments and using them as a launchpad for scanning more than 230 million unique targets for sensitive data. With 110,000 domains targeted, the malicious activity is said to have netted over 90,000 unique variables in the .env files, out of which 7,000 belonged to organizations' cloud services and 1,500 variables are linked to social media accounts. "T
DoJ and FTC Sue TikTok for Violating Children's Privacy Laws

DoJ and FTC Sue TikTok for Violating Children's Privacy Laws

Aug 03, 2024 Privacy / Data Protection
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), filed a lawsuit against popular video-sharing platform TikTok for "flagrantly violating" children's privacy laws in the country. The agencies claimed the company knowingly permitted children to create TikTok accounts and to view and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the service. They also accused it of illegally collecting and retaining a wide variety of personal information from these children without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents, in contravention of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). TikTok's practices also infringed a 2019 consent order between the company and the government in which it pledged to notify parents before collecting children's data and remove videos from users under 13 years old, they added. COPPA requires online platforms to gather, use, or disclose personal information from children unde
Meta Settles for $1.4 Billion with Texas Over Illegal Biometric Data Collection

Meta Settles for $1.4 Billion with Texas Over Illegal Biometric Data Collection

Jul 31, 2024 Privacy / Social Media
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, agreed to a record $1.4 billion settlement with the U.S. state of Texas over allegations that it illegally collected biometric data of millions of users without their permission, marking one of the largest penalties levied by regulators against the tech giant. "This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans' privacy rights," Attorney General Ken Paxton said . "Any abuse of Texans' sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law." The development arrived more than two years after the social media behemoth was sued for unlawfully capturing facial data belonging to Texas without their informed consent as is required by the law. The Menlo Park-based company, however, did not admit to any wrongdoing. Tag Suggestions, as the feature was originally c
Meta Removes 63,000 Instagram Accounts Linked to Nigerian Sextortion Scams

Meta Removes 63,000 Instagram Accounts Linked to Nigerian Sextortion Scams

Jul 25, 2024 Cybercrime / Online Safety
Meta Platforms on Wednesday said it took steps to remove around 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that were found to target people with financial sextortion scams. "These included a smaller coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts that we were able to link to a group of around 20 individuals," the company said . "They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities." In cases where some of these accounts attempted to target minors, Meta said it reported them to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Separately, Meta said it also removed 7,200 assets, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 Facebook Pages and 5,700 Facebook Groups, based in Nigeria that were used to organize, recruit and train new scammers. "Their efforts included offering to sell scripts and guides to use when scamming people, and sharing links to collections of photos to use when populating fake accounts," it sai
Meta Given Deadline to Address E.U. Concerns Over 'Pay or Consent' Model

Meta Given Deadline to Address E.U. Concerns Over 'Pay or Consent' Model

Jul 23, 2024 Data Privacy / Regulatory Compliance
Meta has been given time till September 1, 2024, to respond to concerns raised by the European Commission over its "pay or consent" advertising model or risk-facing enforcement measures, including sanctions. The European Commission said the Consumer Protection Cooperation ( CPC ) Network has notified the social media giant that the model adopted for Facebook and Instagram might potentially violate consumer protection laws. It described the new practice as misleading and confusing, with authorities expressing worries that consumers might have been pressured into choosing quickly between either paying for a monthly subscription or consenting to their personal data being used for targeted advertising. This, the agency said, could have been motivated by fears that they "would instantly lose access to their accounts and their network of contacts." Meta, which introduced a subscription plan for European Union (E.U.) users in late 2023, has run into hot water over o
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