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User Data
Data Breach Data Stolen Facebook Facebook Scams Social Media. User Data

1.5 Billion Facebook Users Data Breach or a Scam?

 

Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp were all down for 7 hours worldwide meanwhile unknown hackers allegedly stole 1.5 billion Facebook users’ data and sold it on the dark web, the Russian Privacy Affairs agency confirmed in its recent findings. The data includes user names, email addresses, addresses, locations, and phone numbers, as per RPA's findings. 

“It’s the biggest and most significant Facebook data dump to date– about three times greater than the April leak of 533 million phone numbers,” the publication noted. 

However, while responding to the security incident, Facebook siad that “this was old data and the security vulnerability responsible had been patched back in 2019”. 

At present, it is yet to be confirmed if the RPA's findings are legitimate or not. However, some people reported that they tried to buy Facebook users’ data. However, after paying $5,000 amount to the hackers in exchange for data, the buyers got nothing, hence the probability of a scam underneath is on the cards. 

The fact that the buyers who paid the hackers in an attempt to buy the stolen data got nothing could be proof that the group's claims of having stolen data are baseless. However, security experts still suggest all Facebook users stay vigilant for unusual activities on their accounts. 

At a Senate subcommittee hearing with a Facebook whistle-blower on Tuesday, Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee said, “News broke yesterday that the private data of over 1.5 billion — that’s right, 1.5 billion — Facebook users are being sold on a hacking forum.” “That’s its biggest data breach to date,”  the subcommittee’s ranking Republican member further added. 

Although many believe that data has been breached, there is no solid proof of it yet. Aric Toler, a researcher with Bellingcat, an investigative journalism group, made a statement and added that someone claimed to have paid for the hacked data and they found out that it was a scam so it has to be confirmed as of yet. 
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Social Media.
Accounts Hacked Identity Theft Russian Hacker Social Media.

US charges Russians for interfering in 2016 Elections, Identity theft in the centre

On Friday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian groups for interfering with the 2016 U.S. elections.

The charges included creation of false U.S. identities as well as identity theft of six U.S. residents. The charges of identity theft were brought against four Russian nationals.

According to the indictment, the Russian nationals used stolen Social Security numbers, home addresses, and birth dates of the six persons to open bank and PayPal accounts and obtain fake government documents between June 2016 and May 2017.

“This indictment serves as a reminder that people are not always who they appear to be on the Internet,” Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein said at a press briefing announcing the indictments.

The Russians allegedly used the stolen identities to open four accounts at an undisclosed U.S. bank and purchased more than a dozen bank account numbers from online sellers.

The stolen information was also allegedly used to evade PayPal security measures.

“We work closely with law enforcement, and did so in this matter, to identify, investigate and stop improper or potentially illegal activity,” PayPal said in a statement.

The Russians are claimed to have used the accounts to pay for the promotion of politically inflammatory social media posts, IRA expenses, political rallies and political props including banners, buttons and flags, in efforts to boost President Trump’s campaign, and are alleged to have been paid $25 to $50 per post from U.S. persons to promote content on IRA-controlled Facebook and Twitter accounts.
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Social Media.
Cyber Attacks Economy Elections Social Media.

The United States failed to establish deterrence in the aftermath of Russia’s interference

The United States of America has yet again neglected to build up deterrence in the consequence of Russia's interference in the 2016 election. And there is no surprise as to why it failed to do so. Which it did in light of the fact that Russia proceeded to forcefully employ the most noteworthy part of its 2016 toolbox: the utilization of social media as a platform to disseminate propaganda intended to debilitate or in simpler words weaken their country.

Former CIA Director Michael Morell and former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, said that Russia has continued its cyber-attacks against the United States. Both of them serve on the advisory council for the Alliance for Securing Democracy, say that the U.S. has neglected to prevent Russia from utilizing social networking to "disseminate propaganda designed to weaken their nation”.

"There is a perception among the media and the general public that Russia ended its social-media operations following last year's election and that we need worry only about future elections. But that perception is wrong. Russia's information operations in the United States continued after the election and they continue to this day," they wrote on Tuesday for The Washington Post.
As reported by them, the Russian government is as yet sending viable and effective tactics that focus on particular gatherings and politicians, much as they did earlier by controlling social media in the race to the 2016 election.

As per Rogers and Morell, Russian-influenced Twitter accounts were leading members in November's #BoycottKuerig movement via social media. The boycott started to dissent the coffee-maker organization pulling its advertisements for Sean Hannity's Fox News show.

"This was a Russian attack on a U.S. company and on our economy," Morell and Rogers said.

Morell and Rogers warn that Russia's utilization of web-based social networking as a "political weapon" that will continue pushing ahead in the future, with more nations expected that would stick to this same pattern, unless and until the U.S. intervenes.

"The sanctions that the Obama administration and Congress put in place in the aftermath of the 2016 election are steps in the right direction, but they were not significant enough to check Russian President Vladimir Putin," Morell and Rogers suggest.


Additionally included saying that true deterrence requires arrangements or such policies that keep adversaries from accomplishing their targets all the while imposing noteworthy expenses on their regimes, out of which they have done neither.
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