BidenCash is a carding marketplace that functions on both the dark web and the clear web, offering stolen credit card details to the public.
BidenCash, a notorious dark web carding marketplace, has leaked over two million valid credit cards as part of its birthday anniversary promotion. The one-year-old leaked dataset contains card information from all over the world, with a significant number of them issued in the United States, China, Mexico, India, Canada, and the UK.
The leaked information includes cardholders’ full names, card numbers, bank details, expiration dates, card verification value (CVV) numbers, home addresses, and more than 500,000 email addresses.
The screenshot shows the type of data leaked by the BidenCash marketplace and their post on a Russian hacker forum (Credit: Hackread.com)
Usually, cybercriminals tend to use the dark web to sell such information; in the BidenCash case, the administrator of the carding site has decided to give a treasure trove of information to the public. It is worth noting that the 260 MB of data, as shown in the screenshot above, is also leaked on a popular Russian language hacker forum.
Although, the exact modus operandi of BidenCash is unclear; carding sites mostly obtain credit card data through various methods, including using information-stealing malware, phishing attacks, skimming, and exploiting vulnerabilities in point-of-sale (PoS) systems.
They also purchase or trade data in underground forums or from other cybercriminal groups. Once the data is obtained, the carding site operators can sell the information to other cybercriminals or use it for fraudulent activities such as making unauthorized purchases or money laundering.
While this is not the first instance of BidenCash leaking credit card data, the timing of their “birthday anniversary promotion” seems questionable. A user on a Russian forum even pointed out that the claim of their anniversary celebration in March is contradictory to their launch date in June last year, stating, “Weren’t you launched in June last year and not in March?”
The authorities are investigating the incident, and affected cardholders are advised to monitor their accounts and report any suspicious activities to their banks. Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts are calling for more robust measures to curb the proliferation of carding marketplaces and the use of stolen credit card information.
Now that we have freely available artificial intelligence happily replicating people’s voices, could it be a security risk?
Voice ID is slowly rolling out across various banks worldwide as a way to perform user authentication over the phone. However, questions remain about just how secure it is. Now that we have freely available artificial intelligence (AI) happily replicating people’s voices, could it be a security risk?
Some recent research suggests that it could.
Vice reporter Joseph Cox put it to the test, with surprising results. All it took was five minutes of recorded speech and a site that can learn to synthesise the voice in the recording.
At first the banking website refused to verify Cox’s synthesized voice as genuine. But with a few tweaks, it soon allowed Cox into his account.
From here, he had access to account information, recent transactions, transfers, and balances. You’ll note from the video below that an additional piece of information is required here in the form of date of birth.
Thankfully, you can’t just use the voice on its own and log straight in to this bank. However, while dates of birth are often use as a form of authentication they are not secret. If an attacker is determined enough to find or create five minutes of your voice recordings, they are unlikely to be deterred by the (probably much easier) task of finding out your birth date.
The bank used for the test claims that criminals would rather use other more common methods of attack than AI voice recordings, and that deploying voice ID has led to “a significant dip in fraud with phone banking”. This may well be true, but that dip presumably occurred before the wide availability of AI tools like ChatGPT.
The stunt is a useful reminder that unlike passwords, which are either right or wrong, all forms of biometric authentication are analogue. Voice, fingerprint, face, and iris recognition all rely on a judgement of similarity, which creates opportunities for enterprising criminals who can produce realistic facsimiles. It’s why your iPhone fingerprint recognition is backed up by a passcode, and why the bank in the test also included a birth date in its authentication process.
If you’re deploying voice recognition as part of your business, it would be wise move to pay close attention to the rapidly improving area of voice synthesis. Don’t let the words “My voice is my password” come back to haunt you in the worst way imaginable.
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Apple has increased the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The new prices are applicable to iPhone models up to iPhone 13, Macs, and iPads that do not have AppleCare+. The latest iPhone 14 models still have the same battery replacement price of $99.
The price of battery replacement for an out-of-warranty iPhone 13 model, for example, has increased to $89 from the previous $70. Similarly, the price of a battery replacement for some iPad models has also gone up by $20. Models such as the fifth-generation and newer 12.9-inch iPad Pro, third-generation 11-inch iPad Pro and earlier, all iPad mini models, and all iPad Air models. The new cost for a battery replacement on these devices is $119.
Apple’s battery prices are increasing today by up to $50 for select iPhone, Mac, and iPad devices. Ours aren’t.
The price of battery replacements for Macs has increased by around $40. For instance, the cost of a replacement for the 13-inch MacBook Air battery has increased to $159. On the other hand, the cost of a replacement for the 12-inch MacBook Pro has gone up to $249. These are only available for devices that have not been covered by AppleCare+ and have a one-year warranty.
If your device is covered under AppleCare+, you can get a free battery replacement if the battery level has dropped to a certain point. However, if it is not, you’ll now have to pay increased prices. This new pricing is not exclusive to the United States but applies to other countries as well. Apple first informed customers about the price hike in January and now you can find all the details of these repairs on the company’s website.
At MWC23, guests are trooping in to try out the Nuralogix Anura app, and some are impressed by its performance. This app is developed by the Nuralogix company, and it can serve as your digital doctor if there is a need. Surprisingly, most attendees at the MWC23 that have got to try this app say that it produces accurate health results.
Among those who gave the Anura app a try are the folks at Android Authority. Not only were they able to try out this app, but they were also able to get some information as to how this app works. The technology behind this app is not as complicated as it might seem.
Users of this app can check their health metrics before going to the doctor. Also, in situations where one can’t access a hospital urgently, this app can give you a quick rundown of your health status. Let’s take a look at the bits and pieces of this health app, along with its challenges.
Everything you need to know about the Nuralogix Anura app
Making use of the Nuralogix Anura app is simple and doesn’t require much knowledge of technology. The app comes with a selfie camera feature that takes a 30-second video of the user. All data acquired from the video will provide the app with what it needs to produce a health report.
But how is it possible to tell someone’s health metrics from a 30-second video? According to sources, this app uses a Transdermal Optical Imaging (TOI) system. This system scans the 30-second video for the user’s facial blood information to get their health metrics.
To enable the system to get an accurate reading, the user needs to breathe normally and stay still while the video is recording. Talking, moving abruptly, and breathing heavily can affect the process. Once the process is complete, the Nuralogix Anura app will provide a breakdown of the user’s health metrics.
At the moment, this app is not available to the public for usage. This is due to various medical bodies doubting the accuracy of the reports Nuralogix’s app provides. These bodies argue that the best way to get a medical report is to go for a proper checkup with a certified doctor.
But, Nuralogix provides a Lite app that is similar to the Anura app for download. This Lite app doesn’t offer the full features that the Anura app doe, but it gives users a glimpse of what to expect. This app might just be shaping the future of healthcare as we know it today.
Twitter user and tipster Kuba Wojciechowski claims that the Google Pixel Buds A-Series will get a new color option. This pair of wireless earbuds launched last year in June. They came with impressive specifications and a budget price tag for those with a slim budget.
Coming with a budget price meant that the Pixel Bud A-Series would drop off some features that the Buds Pro offered. The Pixel Buds Pro retail at $200 while the A-Series options retail at $99. Despite this price gap, the Pixel Bud A-Series still packs some impressive audio features.
This pair of budget earbuds come with water-resistant and noise-reduction technology, among a host of other features. These features make the budget Pixel Buds a solid option for buyers. Now, these buyers will be getting a new color option in a matter of months.
Details on the new Google Pixel Buds A-Series color option
Currently, those planning to buy the Google Pixel Buds A-Series can choose between three color options. Two of these color options launched together with the pair of earbuds back in June. The last option was recently added to the list a few months ago.
Clearly White and Dark Olive are the two color options to launch with this pair of earbuds. Joining these colors a few months ago is the Charcoal option. Now, buyers can prepare to receive yet another color option that might launch in a few months.
According to Kuba Wojciechowski, this new color option is known as Sky Blue. Just like the other three available color options, this one comes white case and Sky Blue colored buds and interior. The tipster also says that aside from the Pixel Buds A-Series, this color option will make its way to other Google products.
Some of the products that will get the Sky Blue color option include the Pixel Buds Pro and the Pixel 7a. But the variant to be available on the Pixel 7a is said to be known as Arctic Blue. It will be quite similar to the Pixel Buds A-Series’ Sky Blue coming color option.
The release date of this new color option for the Pixel Bud A-Series is still unknown. But it might make an appearance during the Google I\O event along with the Pixel 7a device. Once available, the new color option for the budget earbuds from Google will retail at the same price as the other color options.
Apple today announced an increase in trade-in values for selected older iPhone, iPad, and Mac models in the US. The trade-in values of iPhones that have gone up include the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 7 Plus, and more. This move aims to encourage customers to upgrade to the iPhone 14 lineup.
While the price for the iPhone 13 has not changed, customers can get up to $600 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max (up from $570) and up to $500 for the iPhone 13 Pro (up from $470). The iPhone SE 3rd generation has also been added to the trade-in program, with customers being offered up to $160.
In addition to iPhones, the company has made some minor changes to the trade-in values for iPads and Macs. The iPad Air now has a trade-in value of up to $320 (up from $230), while the trade-in value for the 2020 MacBook Air has gone up to $515 (up from $460). Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 7 now has a trade-in value of up to $165, while the Apple Watch SE has a trade-in value of up to $70.
While these trade-in values are higher than they were in January 2022, they are still not as high as they were before Apple decreased trade-in values earlier this year. However, customers can still benefit from these increased values if they decide to upgrade to the latest iPhone or other Apple products. Customers can check the trade-in value for their current device on Apple’s trade-in website.
Bally Sports has been in the news a lot recently, along with other regional sports networks or RSNs. That’s because Bally Sports is getting ready to declare bankruptcy, and has skipped payments to some sports leagues as of late.
Now, Scripps believes that a shutdown is expected for Bally Sports, and it could happen before baseball season starts. Scripps executive Brian Lawlor stated that “in the last two weeks, some of the leagues are suddenly in contingency mode trying to figure out what happens if Bally stiffs them – and stops production in the next month. So we’ve had quite a few conversations with the leagues and the teams, just helping them identify where we can be a solution for them”.
Scripps wants to be the home for these teams. Not just the teams on Bally Sports but on AT&T SportsNet (who is shutting down). So far, Bally Sports owes the MLB around $1 billion, which is a figure that the commissioner, Rob Manfred confirmed recently. And if Bally Sports does opt to declare bankruptcy, that could put payments to the MLB, NBA and NHL at risk.
Bally Sports is working on deals with creditors so that it can avoid bankruptcy, but they only have a few weeks left to reach a deal before they will be forced to declare bankruptcy.
The NBA has an out, if Bally Sports does declare bankruptcy
The NBA just started a new streaming deal with Diamond Sports (Bally Sports parent-company), which allows them to take back their rights if Diamond Sports declares bankruptcy. That would mean that the 16 NBA teams could start streaming their games in-market or resell the rights to a different company.
Meanwhile, the NHL and MLB have announced that they do have backup plans, if Diamond Sports is unable to complete their contract. And still allow fans to watch the NHL and MLB.
What would be great for everyone, is if all games were available on NBA TV, MLB.TV and NHL.TV. Allowing fans to watch in-market games in those apps, instead of only out of market games, that are also still subject to blackouts.
Sling TV was one of the first Live TV Streaming services on the market. Having launched back in 2015. Prior to Sling TV’s launch, there were other Live TV Streaming services, but they weren’t very popular or very good. Sling TV ushered in the era of cord-cutting without losing channels and functionality.
To this day, Sling TV remains one of the cheapest options for cord-cutting and still having live TV available.
Despite its low entry-price, Sling TV can still be quite confusing. With the many different packages, and add-ons available. So here, we’re going to explain everything about Sling TV, and tell you everything you need to know about this service.
What is Sling TV?
For those of you that might be unaware, Sling TV is actually owned by Dish Network. The name “Sling” is actually much older than the service. Dish used to sell “SlingBox” and “SlingPlayers”, which was essentially their version of TiVo. Then in 2015, Sling TV was born. Using a name that many people were already familiar with.
Dish Network doesn’t intend for Sling TV to replace its satellite service. It’s an additional service that it offers, to keep growing their customer-base, by adding cord-cutters. Something that many cable companies – like Comcast and Cox – have tried to keep on their service by offering an insane amount of channels.
Sling is the most robust streaming service on the market today, and you can get started for just $30. Which makes it so popular.
The cost of Sling TV is a huge variable. While you can get started for just $40 with the Sling Blue or Sling Orange package, you can also drive that price up over $100 pretty easily. With the many add-ons that are available for Sling TV.
Add-ons cost as low as $5, and can go up to $20. These add-ons include additional channels, as well as additional features – like Cloud DVR Plus.
Depending on what you’re watching, and what channels you want, you can definitely pay a pretty penny for Sling TV. Below, where we talk about channels and add-ons, you’ll get a better idea of how much Sling TV will cost you.
Update: On March 1, 2023, Sling TV announced that it was raising prices in five markets, after adding ABC in a few markets. In Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco will see their price for Sling Blue going up by $5, to $45 per month. Interestingly, those in Fresno, Houston and Raleigh are not seeing the price increase, but are getting ABC.
What channels are included?
Sling TV is split into three groups, essentially. There’s Sling Blue and Sling Orange core plans, which are $30 individually or you can get both for $45/month. Then there are add-ons. Which will provide you with the less-popular channels for an added fee. Which we’ll explain more below.
Sling Blue
With Sling Blue, you’re getting 45 channels. You’re getting a ton of pretty popular channels, along with Fox Sports channels (not regional sports channels from Fox, only NBC though). For the most part, local channels are not included. Some markets will have NBC and Fox locals available, but those are very few. You can, alternatively, get an OTA antenna and get those channels without paying for a monthly service though.
Here are all the channels available with Sling Blue:
TNT
CNN
Investigation Discovery
HGTV
Nick Jr.
History Channel
AMC
A&E
Food Network
TBS
Comedy Central
IFC
BBC America
Travel Channel
Cartoon Network
BET
EPIX Drive-In
Lifetime
Viceland
AXS TV
Fuse
Newsy
Bloomberg Television
Cheddar
Local Now
Comet
Stadium
NFL Network
Fox News
MSNBC
Bravo
FOX Sports 1
USA
TLC
Discovery Channel
FX
E!
SYFY
National Geographic
truTV
HLN
NBC Sports Network
FOX (Available in Select Markets)
NBC (Available in Select Markets)
NBC RSNs
Sling Orange
The main difference with Sling Orange, is that you are getting Disney channels. Like Disney, ESPN and such.
You get 33 channels with Sling Orange:
ESPN
TNT
CNN
Investigation Discovery
HGTV
Nick Jr.
History Channel
AMC
A&E
Food Network
Disney Channel
TBS
Comedy Central
IFC
BBC America
Travel Channel
Cartoon Network
BET
EPIX Drive-In
Lifetime
Viceland
AXS TV
Fuse
Newsy
ESPN2
ESPN3
Freeform
Bloomberg Television
MotorTrend
Cheddar
Local Now
Comet
Stadium
With Sling Orange and Sling Blue combined, you get both packages, or around 50 channels.
Sling TV offers a ton of add-ons, allowing you a sort of a la carte experience here. So if you want more sports channels, you can pay $10/month for it. Or get more comedy channels for $5/month. Among many others.
Sling is continuing to add more add-ons to its service. So we urge you to check their website as this info could be outdated.
Multi-channel add-ons
You can also add on Cheddar’s multiple channels for free right now. Since they are free, you may as well add them to your package.
Comedy Extra (Orange), $5/month: MTV, TruTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, CMT, Logo, GSN, TV Land, and Revolt
Comedy Extra (Blue), $5/month: MTV, MTV2, CMT, Logo, GSN, TV Land, and Revolt
Kids Extra (Orange), $5 per month: Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, TeenNick, Boomerang, BabyTV, and Duck TV
Kids Extra (Blue), $5/month: Nicktoons, TeenNick, Boomerang, BabyTV, and Duck TV
Hollywood Extra, $5/month: Fandor, Reelz, HDNET Movies, Sundance TV, TCM
Lifestyle Extra (Orange), $5/month: VH1, BET, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, FYI, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, WE TV, Lifetime Movies, Vibrant Network, ZLiving Network, Afro
Lifestyle Extra (Blue), $5/month: VH1, E!, Oxygen, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, FYI, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, WE TV, Lifetime Movies, Vibrant Network, ZLiving Network, Afro
News Extra (Orange), $5/month: BBC World News, HLN, Fusion, Euronews, News18, CGTN, NDTV 24×7, RT Network, Weather 24 (new users will get a free six months of Weather 24, even without the News Extra add-on), American Heroes Channel, Destination America, Science Channel
News Extra (Blue), $5/month: Fox News, Fox Business, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC World News, TheBlaze, HLN, Euronews, France 24, News 18, NDTV 24×7, Russia Today, CGTN, Weather 24 (new users will get a free six months of Weather 24, even without the News Extra add-on)
Sports Extra (Orange), $10/month: NBA TV, ESPN SEC, ESPN SEC+, PAC 12 Network, ESPNU, ESPNews, NHL Network, BeIN Sports, ESPN Goal Line, Stadium, ESPN Bases loaded, Outside TV, and Tennis Channel, Longhorn Network, ACC Network
Sports Extra (Blue), $10/month: RedZone NFL Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, NBC Golf, BeIN Sports, PAC 12 Network, Stadium, Outside TV, Olympic Channel, and Tennis Channel
Best of Spanish Extra, $10/month: EstrellaTV, Azteca, BeIN Sports Ñ, BeIN Sports, Cine Latino, Cine Sony, History en Español, Pasiones, INTI, CBeebies BBC, VME Kids, NTN24, Baby TV Español, El Financiero Bloomberg TV, ZeeMuno, ¡Hola! TV, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia
Premium channel add-ons
You can also add plenty of premium channels to your Sling TV subscription. HBO is no longer offered. Sling TV has not said why, but the change happened after HBO MAX launched, so there’s likely a contract dispute between the two companies. Good thing is, you can still sign up for HBO MAX elsewhere.
CuriosityStream, $6/month
UP Faith & Family, $5/month
Pantaya, $6/month
Stingray Karaoke, $7/month
Dove Channel, $5/month
Outside TV Features, $5/month
Starz, $9/month
Showtime, $10/month
Epix, $5/month
Cinemax, $10/month
ConTV, $5/month
Docurama, $5/month
Grokker, $7/month
Here TV, $8/month
Comedy Dynamics, $5/month
DOGTV, $5/month
VSiN, $4/month
International Add-ons
This is where Sling TV really shines from the rest of the pack. With the many, many international add-ons available for your TV watching pleasure. No other Live TV Streaming service comes close in this regard.
Arabic Mini, $10/month: Arabica, BBC Arabic, Al Jazeera Mubasher, MBC Drama, Melody Classic, ART Cima, Melody Hits, MBC 3, MBC Wanasah, IQRAA TV, Noursat TV, Aghapy TV
Brazilian Mini, $15/month: TV Globo Internacional
Chinese Mini, $5/month: CCTV-4, CGTN, China Movie Channel, CCTV-Entertainment, Hunan Satellite TV, Zhejiang TV, Dragon TV, ShenZhen Television, Jiangsu International Channel, Phoenix North America Chinese Channel, Phoenix InfoNews, Beijing TV
Deutsch Mini, $5/month: P7S1 Welt
Français Mini, $5/month: France 24, TV5 Monde Cinema, TiVi5Monde, Trace Urban
Hindi Mini, $5/month: Aaj Tak, Zee Cinema, SAB TV, zoOm, Food Food, Times Now, News18, B4U Movies, B4U Music, Sony Mix, Sahara Samay
Italiano Mini, $10/month: Rai Italia, Rai News 24, TV2000 Italia, La7, Rai World Premium
Google Assistant Smart Displays (currently, only the Nest Hub series)
Google Chrome
Safari
Microsoft Edge
Facebook Portal
Channel Master DVR+
Roku
Xbox One consoles
Windows 10
Xfinity X1
Oculus
Select Samsung & LG TVs
That covers just about every platform out there and then some. Sling TV is currently available on more platforms than any of its competitors.
What features are available?
Every Live TV Streaming service offers a bundle of features with its service. This is a way for them to justify their prices – particularly those that are around $65/month. And a way to differentiate themselves, seeing as almost all streaming services have the same core channels available. With really only a handful that are different. So here are the features that Sling TV offers.
The Sling TV App Redesign
On May 25, 2021, Sling TV began rolling out its new design of its app. Starting with the Amazon Fire TV, and it will be available on other platforms shortly there after. Here’s what is new:
Personalization: A new Home Screen allows users to easily discover the most relevant content. Users can now customize the Channel Guide by sorting A-Z or by favorites and filters based on what they’re looking for.
Ease of Use: New navigation makes it easier for users to discover what they are looking for, while keeping a familiar feel that users have come to know and love. Users can quickly browse through the Guide or see on-demand content. Users can easily pause, fast-forward, skip to live, or set a recording in a channel and manage all recordings with a dedicated DVR tab. The Smart Player Video Navigation gives users the freedom to go between favorite channels seamlessly with one click to see Recent Channels.
Beautiful Design: A more visual SLING TV experience features ribbons in different colors and sizes with expanded show visuals in the Guide to help users discover content faster. Users can also dive into their favorite channels by clicking on any channel logo to get more details.
Cloud DVR & Cloud DVR Plus
Sling does give every customer 10 hours of free Cloud DVR storage. Obviously, that’s not a lot, and really only enough to store a few shows a week, or even two games.
However, Sling does offer an add-on for this. For $5/month, you can get upgraded to Cloud DVR Plus, which gives you 50 hours of content. And if you have a Roku, you can get 100 hours with Cloud DVR Plus. It’s unclear as to why the difference between devices.
Like traditional DVRs, Sling TV does delete older recordings, to make space for new recordings. To prevent it from deleting shows you don’t want deleted, you can mark them as “protected” in the DVR. So you can prevent it from being automatically deleted. There are also DVR folders available for organizing the content you’ve recorded.
Cloud DVR is available on most channels. Though some of them will not be able to be recorded.
It’s also worth noting that Xfinity X1 and Samsung Smart TVs currently do not support Sling TV’s Cloud DVR service.
On-Demand content
In addition to recording content with the DVR, Sling also offers a pretty robust selection of titles available on demand. And if they are not available on demand, you can rent them. Rentals are priced at $3 for standard definition and $4 for HD. You also have 30 days to watch anything you rent. So you can watch it plenty of times.
Sling TV does break down titles that are available on demand into different categories. Making it easier to find something to watch.
Free content available
Another way that Sling really stands out from the competition is with its free content. You can watch more than 100 hours of movies and TV shows on Sling TV, without paying for the service. In fact, you don’t even need to provide a credit card number.
Sling TV started this in 2019, but it became very popular during the pandemic in 2020. With everyone being stuck at home for months, and needing some new content to watch, to stay busy.
How can I get a free device, or a discount on Sling TV?
Sling TV does routinely offer up some pretty incredible deals for getting a free device like an AirTV, or Roku. As well as getting a month free. So it’s always a good idea to check out their site to see what their current deals are.
At the time of writing this, you can get $10 off of your first month of Sling TV. Getting it for $20/month or $35/month for Blue and Orange combined.
It is also worth noting, that in order to get a free device like an AirTV, you generally do need to prepay for a month or two up-front. Which also means you won’t be able to use the free trial.
Is Sling TV worth it?
That is going to depend on what features and channels you need and watch. If all of your channels are included in the Sling Blue and/or Orange packages. Then Sling is a really great option, and pretty cheap too. But there is the annoyance of having to switch to your actual TV to get local channels – and the fact you need to buy an antenna for that. But that is one way that Sling TV is able to keep its prices pretty cheap.
If you’re a casual viewer of live TV, then Sling TV will do the trick. And the fact that you can pretty much pick and choose the channels you want to add to your package is an added bonus.
Oh, boy, the social media platform TikTok just can’t get any rest. The never ending drama ride that highlights legal dispute after ban attempt is truly challenging. Not only because the security concerns on hand are extremely relatable and natural, but also because at the end of the day TikTok is not only a business, but a business opportunity for numerous influencers that use it to earn a living. That being said, TikTok has made strides to prove its innocence through transparency and a very clever tactic: not running away from a challenge. The company outright opened its doors for state officials to explore public data to their leisure.
To continue that trend, a TikTok spokeswoman took the time to talk with the BBC regarding three of the reoccurring cyber-security concerns. Namely: the collection of “excessive” amounts of user data, the involvement of the Chinese communist party and the allegations that the app is effectively a brainwashing construct.
As much as we talk about TikTok’s popularity, it is much grander than numbers can show for.
While concerns over user data initially blew up in 2022 when an Australian cyber company published a report, which claimed that TikTok collects huge amounts of sensitive and specific data, things might not have been quite objective. Ever since that statement, other teams have stepped in — like Citizen Labs or the Georgia Institute of Technology — and conducted comparative analysis. Well, it turns out that TikTok collects pretty much the same quantity and type of data that most social platforms do. No shock there, considering the competition.
But the point is that said data may end up with China, right? Well, TikTok continues to stand firmly on the position that it is an independent company, which has not and would not supply China with user info. In all reality, even if the risk is totally understandable and fair to be concerned about, it is entirely theoretical, as no evidence of such a data transfer ever surfaced.
Hold on though — TikTok doesn’t need China in order to brainwash you. Its app is already on your phone! Right? Well, the BBC report highlights only one side of the conversation, and it is related to political misinformation. Citizen Labs compared the Chinese and worldwide versions of TikTok and concluded that political-oriented content is not being moderated outside of China. While that is ultimately a good thing, there’s tons more to be discussed on the topic of addictive habit forming and the impact on dopamine that TikTok in particular has.
Overall, while we wouldn’t call TikTok’s slate clean, we absolutely commend the company for its bravery and handling of the entire situation. This is a bumpy ride that has been going on for years and despite that, the company isn’t showing any signs of burnout. That being said, when the political side of things concludes, we’re eager to see what TikTok will do for the mental health of its astoundingly large user base.
The theft of critical law enforcement data is currently under investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), triggered by a ransomware attack that targeted a stand-alone USMS system.
The USMS has confirmed that the compromised information is of a sensitive nature and is working to identify the culprits behind the attack.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a crucial bureau operating under the Department of Justice, catering to every facet of the federal justice system.
Their functions span from executing federal court orders and seizing assets that have been acquired illegally, to safeguarding the well-being of government witnesses and their kin. Additionally, USMS provides a range of other services that are essential to the efficient functioning of the federal justice system.
As per a report by NBC, the federal law enforcement agency has confirmed that the recently stolen data contains personally identifiable information of its employees. The agency is taking immediate measures to contain the damage and has urged its employees to be extra vigilant with their personal information.
Here’s what the USMS spokesperson, Drew Wade stated:-
“On February 17th, a stand-alone USMS system was hit by a ransomware attack that resulted in a data exfiltration event.”
However, the Marshals Service immediately took notice of the situation and launched an investigation to identify the attackers behind this incident. Even they also disconnected the affected system from the network to stop the further spread.
Sensitive Information Leaked
There is sensitive information contained within the affected system that is relevant to law enforcement, including:-
Returns from legal process
Administrative information
PII related to USMS investigations
PII related to third parties
PII related to USMS employees
USMS’ Witness Security Files Information System was not accessed by the attackers, as they were unable to establish any access to the system. While this security breach has not led to any danger to anyone in the witness protection program.
The recent incident involving the USMS system is a matter of significant concern, as it involves the theft of sensitive information related to ongoing investigations by the Marshals Service.
The compromised data is of high importance to law enforcement agencies and could potentially jeopardize the safety and security of the subjects of these investigations.
The USMS is treating this matter with utmost seriousness and taking all necessary measures to contain the damage caused by the breach.
Despite the recent ransomware attack and data exfiltration event, the USMS has managed to develop a temporary solution to ensure that their operations are not affected.
The agency is working diligently to track down fugitives and suspects, even as it investigates the extent of the damage caused by the attack. While the situation remains precarious, the USMS is confident that their measures will allow them to continue their efforts until a permanent solution can be found.
