Security News

FTC: BetterHelp pushed users to share mental health info then gave it to Facebook
2023-03-03 21:30

BetterHelp - whose business boomed during COVID lockdown - has denied wrongdoing, and claimed in a statement that it merely used "Industry-standard practice... routinely used by some of the largest health providers, health systems, and healthcare brands." The filing alleged: "Between 2017 and 2018, Respondent uploaded lists of over 7 million Visitors' and Users' email addresses to Facebook. Facebook matched over 4 million of these Visitors and Users with their Facebook user IDs, linking their use of the Service for mental health treatment with their Facebook accounts."

New S1deload Stealer malware hijacks Youtube, Facebook accounts
2023-02-22 17:27

An ongoing malware campaign targets YouTube and Facebook users, infecting their computers with a new information stealer that will hijack their social media accounts and use their devices to mine for cryptocurrency. Security researchers with Bitdefender's Advanced Threat Control team discovered the new malware and dubbed it S1deload Stealer due to its extensive use of DLL sideloading for evading detection.

Facebook Introduces New Features for End-to-End Encrypted Messenger App
2023-01-24 05:44

Meta Platforms on Monday announced that it has started to expand global testing of end-to-end encryption in Messenger chats by default. The social media behemoth said it intends to notify users in select individual chat threads as the security feature is enabled, while emphasizing that the process of choosing and upgrading the conversations to support E2EE is random.

Irish Regulators Fine Facebook $414 Million for Forcing Users to Accept Targeted Ads
2023-01-05 04:33

The Irish Data Protection Commission has fined Meta Platforms €390 million over its handling of user data for serving personalized ads in what could be a major blow to its ad-fueled business model. To that end, the privacy regulator has ordered Meta Ireland to pay two fines - a €210 million fine over violations of the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation related to Facebook, and a €180 million for similar violations in Instagram.

Facebook to Pay $725 Million to settle Lawsuit Over Cambridge Analytica Data Leak
2022-12-27 06:18

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit filed in 2018. The legal dispute sprang up in response to revelations that the social media giant allowed third-party apps such as those used by Cambridge Analytica to access users' personal information without their consent for political advertising.

Facebook Cracks Down on Spyware Vendors from U.S., China, Russia, Israel, and India
2022-12-19 09:46

The social media conglomerate also took steps to disable accounts and block infrastructure operated by spyware vendors, including in China, Russia, Israel, the U.S. and India, that targeted individuals in about 200 countries. A second set of 250 accounts on Facebook and Instagram linked to another Israeli company called QuaDream was found "Engaged in a similar testing activity between their own fake accounts, targeting Android and iOS devices in what we assess to be an attempt to test capabilities to exfiltrate various types of data including messages, images, video and audio files, and geolocation."

Phishing attack uses Facebook posts to evade email security
2022-12-15 17:38

A new phishing campaign uses Facebook posts as part of its attack chain to trick users into giving away their account credentials and personally identifiable information. The link to appeal the account deletion is an actual Facebook post on facebook.com, helping threat actors bypass email security solutions and ensure their phishing messages land in the target's inbox.

Android malware infected 300,000 devices to steal Facebook accounts
2022-12-01 20:52

An Android malware campaign masquerading as reading and education apps has been underway since 2018, attempting to steal Facebook account credentials from infected devices. According to a new report by Zimperium, the campaign has infected at least 300,000 devices across 71 countries, primarily focusing on Vietnam.

Schoolyard Bully Trojan Apps Stole Facebook Credentials from Over 300,000 Android Users
2022-12-01 10:07

More than 300,000 users across 71 countries have been victimized by a new Android threat campaign called the Schoolyard Bully Trojan. Mainly designed to steal Facebook credentials, the malware is camouflaged as legitimate education-themed applications to lure unsuspecting users into downloading them.

Schoolyard Bully Trojan Apps Stole Facebook Credentials from Over 300,000 Android Users
2022-12-01 10:07

More than 300,000 users across 71 countries have been victimized by a new Android threat campaign called the Schoolyard Bully Trojan. Mainly designed to steal Facebook credentials, the malware is camouflaged as legitimate education-themed applications to lure unsuspecting users into downloading them.