#WhatsApp #CyberSecurity
WhatsApp Adds Passkey Access, Providing Extra Security for Private Chats
WhatsApp is the latest social/messaging app to add passkey access, which provides a more secure way for users to log in, negating the use of text-based keywords.
Passkey access enables you to use on-device Face and/or Touch ID to log in, providing a safer, faster log-on process that’s less susceptible to hacking. Passkeys also utilize advanced cryptography, providing even more security in the login process.
#Twitter #X
X Starts Charging New Users in Two Countries
New users signing up for X (formerly Twitter) in two countries will now be charged a $US1 fee as part of a test to drive bots off the platform.
The ‘Not a Bot’ annual subscription is part of CEO Elon Musk’s grand master plan to rid the platform of bots and reduce spam.
Only users in New Zealand and the Philippines are affected at this stage. The annual subscription in local currency will be $NZD1.43 and ₱PHP 42.51 respectively.
Link: https://ia.acs.org.au/content/ia/article/2023/x-starts-charging-new-users-in-two-countries.html
New Google October 2023 Spam Update Targets Spam In More Languages
Google has released a new spam update, the October 2023 spam update. This update goes after cloaking, hacked, auto-generated, and scraped spam. But those sites written in Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi, Chinese, and other languages should see this more than maybe those in English languages.
This update that started October 4th at 12:52 pm ET, as per the search status dashboard will take a few weeks to roll out.
Link: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-releases-october-2023-spam-update-36163.html
#CyberSecurity
FBI Warns of North Korean Spies Posing as IT Workers
The US government is once again warning organisations to be on the lookout for North Korean spies posing as freelance IT workers, recommending companies be wary of fully remote freelancers who resist joining video calls and try to hide their real-world location.
#PrivacyMatters
Ticketek Cops Heavy ACMA Fine Over Spam Messages
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been investigating Ticketek since October 2022, when it received a range of customer complaints.
The ACMA found that the company had sent 57,000 emails and texts to customers who had already unsubscribed from Ticketek’s marketing and 41,000 more without the consent of the recipients.
Link: https://www.cyberdaily.au/government/9701-ticketek-cops-heavy-acma-fine-over-spam-messages
#AI
CBA To Test Products and Messaging on AI-created ‘Customers’
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is developing its own generative AI-powered chatbots to test how different types of customers might respond to new products or “messaging”.
The work, unveiled at the South by Southwest Sydney 2023 last week, is in a “preliminary” phase, aimed at determining how well the AI can mimic customers behaviour, and how effective the chatbots are when used as an early-stage experimentation tool for rapid testing.
Link: https://www.itnews.com.au/news/cba-to-test-products-and-messaging-on-ai-created-customers-601494
#CyberSecurity #DataBreach
Pakistani Threat Actor Targets Optus Stadium With DDoS Attack
A threat actor called Team Insane Pakistan has taken responsibility for the incident, saying on its Telegram channel that the takedown was “for fun”.
Given the capricious nature of many such groups, it is entirely possible that a bored hacker was looking for easy targets to take advantage of. Still, it’s also possible there are other motives.
For one thing, the Pakistan cricket team will be playing Australia in a test match at Optus Stadium in December, so it could also be a display of misplaced patriotic fervour. Team Insane Pakistan also recently targeted the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in India – maybe they’re just cricket fans.
#CyberCrime #DataBreach #Hacked
Okta Hack Exposes Customers to Threat Actor
Okta customers may be at risk after a threat actor broke into Okta’s customer support systems and stole sensitive files which could expose customer networks to hackers.
In a blog post released Friday, Australian David Bradbury, chief security officer at corporate authentication company Okta, said a threat actor was able to access the company’s support case management system using a stolen credential.
Link: https://ia.acs.org.au/content/ia/article/2023/okta-hack-exposes-customers-to-threat-actor.html
