Ramblings of an old Doc

 

Well…happy new year. “The more  things change…” as the saying goes. Thanks to an insecure API, these two have been exploited revealing 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers. The ripples will be significant. For instance, someone can view and change your unread messages as well as those sent, and replace your images. Imagine the mischief, and serious problems that can cause.

What’s worse? The discoverers supposedly offered to help fix the problem by applying for the “Software Developer” position and never received an answer, he/they (GibsonSec) say.

According to them, there was no data encryption (!).

According to Snapchat, it had implemented safeguards making an exploit "more difficult to do."

As for Skype? So far, no data leak, just a hack of their blog and facebook page. The official blog "Hacked by Syrian Electronic Army.. Stop Spying!" as well as Twitter posts, “"Stop Spying on People! via Syrian Electronic Army," as well as on Skype’s facebook page, "Don't use Microsoft emails (hotmail,outlook), They are monitoring your accounts and selling it to the governments," with the hashtag "#SEA."

Skype denied info compromise.

Snapchat has been running on a tiny crew and growing very rapidly. They apparently have little, if any cybersecurity.

Just to explain why those datasets are so important, a criminal with several data sets can use phone numbers to correlate user names to real names and other records, making it easier to assume real-world identities at banks, government agencies, employers and elsewhere.

Also, if you have a Skype or Snapchat account, watch out for phishing emails.

Here’s a good link to help you in detecting phishing emails: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-tips-for-spotting-a-phishing-email/?tag=nl.e101&s_cid=e101&ttag=e101&ftag=TRE684d531

 

To check to see if your username, data were published online, you can go here: http://lookup.gibsonsec.org/

 

It's a valid link at GibsonSec.

Sources:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/1/5262740/4-6-million-snapchat-phone-numbers-and-usernames-leaked

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/1/5264540/skype-twitter-facebook-blog-accounts-hacked


Comments
on Jan 02, 2014

Well it says I wasn't hacked. If I was I wasn't going to worry about it. Don't care about an address or user name getting hacked as it's going to continue and not that I like it but part of being on the internet. When you posted Adobe I right aways called my credit card company and canceled and was sent a new card. Very few places actually have my credit card information so keep posting Doc in case one of those effects me. Good work.

on Jan 02, 2014

^ Glad to hear that, Dave.

The breaches in and of themselves just add more and more data sets for the criminals to piece things together with...so the problems become additive...eventually, the straw breaks the camel's back.

 

on Jan 02, 2014

DrJBHL

^ Glad to hear that, Dave.

The breaches in and of themselves just add more and more data sets for the criminals to piece things together with...so the problems become additive...eventually, the straw breaks the camel's back.

 

I see your point. My thoughts are that there isn't anything truly safe. Most of the larger companies and banks are best protected at this point if they don't let their guard down. They must continue to look for more protection everyday. Some places will let their guard down and think all is fine. Possibility Target did this. In years to come I'm not sure the hackers won't be able to find a way around anything. I'm one of the in todays world an unusual person. As I use cash for 99% of everything I purchase and that only leaves my credit care information in a few places. I realize it only takes one place to get the information but it increases my chances of being not found so to speak. Another way to say it is i'm old school and less information available less risk for me. Another safeguard I added for myself was that if I purchase anything over $150.00 my credit card company will call me. A lot of people don't either know they can set that up or just don't bother or worry about it.

Anyway keep the info coming. Never know it may be a place that I deal with such as Adobe you posted.

on Jan 02, 2014

Personally I don't like credit cards. To me they're nothing but one great big headache. I'm like DaveBax, I pay cash, when I can, for everything. Its kinda hard to argue with cash unless its bogus. Perfect example. Three years ago I was in a WaWa to purchase a lighter. It was New Years Eve and the place was packed. I looked down and noticed a bill on the floor. I snatched it up and put it in my pocket, went to the bathroom and checked it out. Turns out it was a $100.00 bill. Someone had dropped it, probably too soused to notice and I considered myself lucky. For the next week I ate pretty damn good. But the first thing I did was ask the cashier if it was good.