Slashdot Mirror
Exploits Propagated Via Social Media Increase
Orome1 writes "Infection via email, traditionally the most popular vector for spreading malware, has declined in favor of greater use of social media. These include clickjacking attacks using the Facebook 'Like' button, fake Web pages positioned on search engines (BlackHat SEO), and zero-day vulnerability exploits. The rise in popularity of smart phones powered by Google's Android operating system for smart phones has been accompanied by an increase in attacks targeting these devices. A number of different threats have appeared, primarily aimed at racking up phone bills or using the geolocalization function to transmit a user's position to a third party."
And here I am with an android phone that's running 1.5 because the vendor refuses to release any more updates for this 1-year old model of phone.
Oh, wait, that's right, I already rooted and upgraded to 2.2. Nevermind.
As I said in the last Android article, all apps have access to your sdcard, and to your identity (esn/imei/meid/phone number). Once you give an app permission to access the internet, your identity and sdcard contents are public. Go in to the Market and search for pub:"Adao Team" and look at the permissions on their app called "File Manager". It only asks for internet acces, install shortcuts, and kill background processes. I bet it can access the sdcard even though it doesn't ask for it. It would be useless if it couldn't access the sd card.
Today the guys trying to force Seattle to give away public park land to a Chihulhy museum hacked the social media SLOG site poll to "fix" a poll that was going heavily against them.
Link as follows: Chihulhy.com hacks SLOG poll as they lose to Tiger Breeding option
Very sad.
But the Android OS holes and exploits are more likely due to it's popularity amongst tech geeks.
In my personal experience, most people prefer the iPhone, but I always say if you're a tech geek, you should opt for the Android instead, cause it's what YOU want.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
They're really deceiving.
AVG antivirus 2011 is supposed to offer some kind of new protection thing for social networking sites. Presumably its previous surf shield and link scanner stuff weren't good enough.
yet it likes to bounce around to
"The rise in popularity of smart phones powered by Google's Android operating system for smart phones has been accompanied by an increase in attacks targeting these devices."
Then to
There has also been a great deal of commotion around two serious zero-day flaws in Microsoft OS code, one of which was exploited to attack SCADA systems (specifically in, nuclear power stations).
This article really has nothing to say about the rise of use of social media as a vector, other than mentioning the recent twitter exploits--in the last paragraph. Why did this article make it to the front page again?
AccountKiller
Zero Day Exploits don't seem to have anything to do with Social Media, even though thrown thrown in as a subcategory.
People with nefarious goals target massively popular services with shitty security and largely uninformed users. Film at 11.
"The rise in popularity of smart phones powered by Google's Android operating system for smart phones has been accompanied by an increase in attacks targeting these devices."
In other news, the rise in people having unprotected sex resulted in a rise in pregnancies.
And a rise in the number of boaters has increased the number of boating accidents.
In true slashdot fashion, I haven't RTFA. However, I see a number of people saying the article mentions attacks targeted at social media, android phones, and microsoft. As I don't use any of these, I would like to tell the hackers: Great! Keep up the good work.
I say no way! Nobody could be pirating my clicks. /drools and goes back to raising virtual pigs and sending virtual gifts to virtually unknown "friends."
As of posting I see 21 comments for this story, ~5 hours after its initial posting. Conclusion: Nobody cares and/or nobody empathizes with those affected by said malicious exploits propagated via social media.
Hell, if anything, I call it digital natural selection. Taking out the weak and ignorant one Like at a time.
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
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Who cares.... IF you really need to have an actual, real world, face to face relationship with another person, and you have a legitimate basis for that relationship..... PERHAPS Facebook may be OK, but try writing a real letter to them with some photo's in it. Email them. Phone them.
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Voting up, Voting down - If I really gave a fuck about your approval or not, I'd come and ask you.