Defense Electronics Manufacturer CPI Succumbs To Ransomware Demands

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Ransomware is industry-agnostic. The motivations for cyber-criminals to pursue organizations and ransom their data is typically for the money. The days of spies physically infiltrating an organization to steal trade secrets are likely gone. Insider threats and cyber-attacks are more viable paths to complete nefarious deeds.

In mid-January, electronics manufacturer Communications & Power Industries (CPI) was victimized by having its data encrypted and held ransom. Founded in 1995, CPI is a global manufacturer of electronic components and subsystems focused primarily on communications and defense markets. The 2,000-person company formed out of Varian Associates and claims to be the largest U.S. manufacturer of electron devices. Some of its customers include the US Department of Defense and the DoD’s DARPA.

See Related: The Cost Of An Enterprise Ransomware Attack

The company had its systems knocked offline by the attack. Hackers requested the company pay $500,000 in exchange for the decryption key. A third-party forensic investigation firm was hired by CPI to investigate the cyber-attack. The origin of the attack appears to have been a phishing attack. According to a source speaking with TechCrunch, thousands of computers on the network were on the same, unsegmented domain. As a result, the ransomware quickly spread to every CPI office, including its on-site backups.

“The root cause appears to be a domain administrator clicking on the malicious link,” said Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Senior Cyber Analyst Lee Neely. “Controlled use of administrative privileges, including running with the lowest level of privilege is CIS Control 4. Network segmentation, particularly for older operating systems such as XP, is key to not only restrict lateral movement but also mitigate shortfalls in legacy system security.”

See Related: Phishing Attacks Work Because… Humans

CPI chose to pay the ransom and is currently assessing data loss from the attack. At the end of February, a source described the situation as having been able to restore about one-quarter of computers to operational duty. Federal agencies generally advise against making ransom payments as there is no guarantee that the tools necessary to decrypt data will work (assuming that they are even sent). Some states are even considering legislation that would ban organizations from making ransom payments.

At RSA Conference 2020, the FBI presented its cyber-crime findings for how much victims paid in ransom payments. Between October 2013 and November 2019, the FBI identified more than $144 mn in bitcoin payments to ransomware actors. This figure was purely ransom payouts and is not the total cost associated with ransomware.

See Related: See All Incident Of The Week Content


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Xiaomi 13 Lite coming with ‘Dynamic Island’ vibes, kind of

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Xiaomi 13 Lite coming with ‘Dynamic Island’ vibes, kind of
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According to a new report, the Xiaomi 13 Lite may be a rebranded Xiaomi Civi 2. That device actually has a pill-shaped camera cutout on the front. So, the Xiaomi 13 Lite may have those ‘Dynamic Island’ vibes once it launches, to a degree.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite will launch with ‘Dynamic Island’ vibes

Just to be clear, this doesn’t mean it will actually have the functionality of Apple’s Dynamic Island, not at all. This pill-shaped camera cutout is likely simply there for the cameras, not any added functionality around it. Though you can always add it via a third-party app.

However, it is worth noting that a report surfaced back in September, claiming that Xiaomi and Realme are considering Dynamic Island-type feature. So, who knows, Xiaomi may end up surprising us.

Having said that, the Xiaomi 13 Lite unboxing surfaced online (shown below), which is where all this information is coming from. Based on the design of the unboxed product, it will be a rebranded Xiaomi Civi 2 which has already launched in China. This is not surprising, not at all.

The device will include a 120Hz display, 67W charging & more

The phone is expected to feature a 6.55-inch fullHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 will seemingly fuel the device, Qualcomm’s mid-range processor.

A 4,500mAh battery will power the phone, while 67W wired charging will be included too. You will find an in-display fingerprint scanner on this phone as well, an optical one.

A 50-megapixel main camera (Sony’s IMX766 sensor) will be backed by a 20-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. On the front, two 32-megapixel cameras will sit, one of which will be an ultrawide one.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite is expected to launch alongside the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro. Those two phones launched in China already, but not globally. They will launch globally on February 26, Xiaomi confirmed.


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ByteDance’s PICO to battle Meta for dominance in the VR industry

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ByteDance’s PICO to battle Meta for dominance in the VR industry
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Meta dominates the XR headset industry, but they are getting serious competition from PICO, a ByteDance-owned company. This VR headset company has made some impressive advancements in recent years. These advancements show that they are preparing themselves for fierce competition with Meta in the VR industry.

In recent months, PICO has grown in popularity for a few reasons. The company is also getting more recognition in the VR headset industry. PICO has become ByteDance’s tool to help them secure a solid place in the industry Meta once dominated.

Already, the Chinese company has found itself a sweet spot in the VR headset industry. They are now a top competitor in an industry where Meta reigns supreme.

What you need to know about ByteDance’s PICO company

PICO came into existence back in 2015 and was then purchased by ByteDance in 2021. After the purchase, PICO started gaining more international recognition and moved to launch a groundbreaking VR headset. The PICO 4 VR headsets were unlike anything the company had previously launched.

It came with a new design that is lighter and more stylish than the company’s previous generation VR headset. The specifications and features of this headset took the VR community by surprise. Ever since their launch, the PICO 4 VR headsets have come to be great sellers in Asia and Europe where they retail.

This VR headset is a worthy competitor for the Meta Quest Pro since it offers great features. But the PICO 4 VR outshine the Quest Pro by being more affordable whilst offering similar specifications. The Meta Quest Pro does offer better memory and also features an upgraded Qualcomm XR2+ processor.

The PICO 4 VR headset on its part comes with the Qualcomm XR2 processor but still retails for more than half of the Quest Pro’s price. Their affordability is making them a top choice for those wanting to experience the world of VR. This has raised the ByteDance-owned company to second place in the VR global market.

Both Meta and ByteDance’s PICO continue to invest heavily in their product to help them get better. PICO also went through some rebranding last year before the launch of its most recent VR headset. The tussle for dominance between Meta and PICO in the VR industry will help foster development on both sides in the coming years.


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Musk claims to have saved Twitter from bankruptcy and red ink

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Musk claims to have saved Twitter from bankruptcy and red ink
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Still one of the richest men in the world, Twitter CEO Elon Musk is now claiming that his $44 billion purchase of Twitter was a timely one as it saved the social media company from bankruptcy. Replying to a tweet from The Wall Street Journal, Musk wrote, “Last 3 months were extremely tough, as had to save Twitter from bankruptcy while fulfilling essential Tesla & SpaceX duties. Wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. Twitter still has challenges but is now trending to breakeven if we keep at it. Public support is much appreciated!”
Whether this is just a self-serving missive designed to pump up his accomplishments at Twitter or a legitimate fact isn’t clear. But the multi-billionaire might be feeling his oats after a jury in California found him “not liable” for losses that Tesla stockholders suffered after he disseminated a tweet saying that he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share and had “funding secured.”
In reality, funding was not secured. The tweet was originally posted in 2018 and sent Tesla stock up 11% to $387.46 before crashing to $263.24 a month later when it became obvious that the funding was not secured.
Musk claims to have saved Twitter from bankruptcy and has the social media site on a solid path - Musk claims to have saved Twitter from bankruptcy and red ink

Musk claims to have saved Twitter from bankruptcy and has the social media site on a solid path

Since buying Twitter, things have gone anything but smoothly for Musk. He changed his mind several times about his plan to sell verification check marks on the platform and even mentioned that filing for bankruptcy was an option for Twitter that he was considering. However, Musk said in a subsequent tweet that Twitter’s daily user count and user minutes are “still strong.”

Despite the talk of bankruptcy, Twitter was able to make the first interest payment on the $12.5 billion of debt that Musk borrowed to complete the purchase of Twitter. Being able to make the payment on time probably gave Musk the confidence to tweet his claim. Personally, though, Musk has been going through some tough times. Last year, he became the first person to have the dubious honor of losing $200 billion in wealth during a single year. Over the past year, Tesla’s shares have declined by 37% accounting for most of the evaporation of his wealth.


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Review: Totallee Case for Pixel 7 Series

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Review: Totallee Case for Pixel 7 Series
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I finally got both my Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7 after a bit of a wait. As usual, the hunt for the ideal case began once the phones arrived. Totallee hooked me up with a couple of cases – one for the Pixel 7 Pro and one for the regular Pixel 7.

Pixel smartphones have a unique distinguishing feature – that camera bar on the rear kinda like the helmet visors worn by Daft Punk band members. While the camera bar gives the Pixel smartphones a unique look, it also presents a decent amount of headache in terms of getting a case that complements Google’s design language.

Totallee has been making minimalist cases for a while now. Their main focus has been iPhones but they have slowly started to branch out making cases for Android devices. As Google’s Pixel series begins to gain momentum it is understandable that Totallee decided to make their cases available for the latest Pixel 7 series.

Totallee Solid Black Case for Pixel 7 Pro

Totallee Solid Black Pixel 7 Pro AH HR 1

This case is probably the best example of why people love Totallee cases. It is extremely thin, so thin that you don’t feel like the phone has a case on it.

Totallee Solid Black Pixel 7 Pro AH HR 6

Totallee claims that the thickness of this Solid Black case is .02″ thick – .508mm. Twenty-thousandths of an inch does classify as extremely thin! For our metric system readers, this case is just over half a millimeter in thickness!

Totallee Solid Black Pixel 7 Pro AH HR 3

The upside of this case is its bare minimalist construction and design. The downside is of course this case isn’t going to provide any sort of serious drop protection. The idea of this case is to prevent any visible scratches to the frame and the rear glass mainly from plunking it onto a work desk or a car phone holder or even in your pocket. I do think that the case will prevent that camera visor from getting any scratches.

Overall fit and finish are excellent in terms of cutouts for buttons, ports, and speaker grilles. Not to mention the cutouts for the cameras and flash on the bar at the rear which shows the gold color accent very nicely on my Hazel Pixel 7 Pro.

Totallee Clear Soft Case for Pixel 7

Totallee Clear Soft Pixel 7 AH HR 1

Totallee also sent us a thin Clear Soft case for the Pixel 7. Keep in mind that this case is not as thin as the Solid Black and does offer a decent amount of protection against small drops.

Totallee Clear Soft Pixel 7 AH HR 5

The clear case is made from TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) which has anti-yellowing compounds added to it. Design-wise, the case offers a good amount of grip and excellent tactile buttons. Cutouts are also in the right location and do not block the ports or grilles.

Since the case is clear, it allows you to show off the fancy colors that the Pixel 7 series comes in. My personal Pixel 7 is Snow White and, as you can see from the pictures, the case does a great job of showing the white/silver color scheme.

Totallee Clear Soft Pixel 7 AH HR 2

I have been a big fan of clear cases for many years now because I like smartphones with unique color schemes. This year, I eschewed the green color for the regular Pixel 7, and this Totallee Clear Soft case does a great job in terms of showing the color off while providing a decent amount of drop protection.

Final thoughts

Totallee Case Pixel 7 AH HR Verdict

For those people who don’t like bulky rugged cases on their smartphones, the Totallee Solid Black case and Totallee Clear Soft case are easy to recommend. The Solid Black is ultra-thin and extremely minimal, while the Clear Soft is a bit thicker with buttons that provide superior tactile feedback.

50% OFF for Black Friday/Cyber Monday

In addition, Totallee is having a huge sale for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Between November 11, 2022 and November 28, 2022 you can get these cases for 50% off from Totallee’s Amazon store. And, the best part about this sale is that no coupon code is required.


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Emergency Fix Released For GoAnywhere Zero-Day Vulnerability

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Emergency Fix Released For GoAnywhere Zero-Day Vulnerability
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Researchers have warned users about a serious zero-day vulnerability in the GoAnywhere MFT software. Exploiting the vulnerability allows an attacker to breach the tool’s servers and execute codes on exposed admin consoles. Following active exploitation of the flaw, the vendors released emergency patch 7.1.2 for the bug, urging users to update immediately.

GoAnywhere MFT Zero-Day Vulnerability

Recently, the GoAnywhere team issued an alert for the users, disclosing a serious security vulnerability.

GoAnywhere is a standalone managed file transfer (MFT) software that facilitates businesses in sharing data with other users. The recipients may include the firms’ systems, employees, customers, or trading partners.

The news about the vulnerability surfaced online when GoAnywhere published a security advisory on its platform. However, it gained traction when the security reporter Brian Krebs highlighted the matter on Mastodon.

For clarity, Krebs copied and pasted GoAnywhere’s advisory in his message thread, which he could access after creating an account there.

Specifically, GoAnywhere disclosed a zero-day flaw that allowed an adversary with access to the administrative consoles to execute codes.

The advisory elaborated that such access was possible via a VPN, whitelisted Ips, or private company networks. An admin console exposed to the public internet remained highly vulnerable to the exploit. Nonetheless, the usually accessible Web Client interface remained unaffected by this issue.

While that doesn’t sound as dangerous, what GoAnywhere’s advisory didn’t highlight was the extent of internet-facing admin consoles. According to the researcher Kevin Beaumont’s response on Krebs’ thread, a Shodan search made him find a considerably high number of exposed admin consoles with the non-HTTPS Port 8000 instead of port 8001 (HTTPS).

Recommended Mitigations And Emergency Fix

At the time of bug disclosure, no permanent patch was available for this zero-day RCE. Hence, the vendors shared some mitigation steps in their advisory.

Specifically, they asked the customers with vulnerable or exposed admin interfaces to review the admin user accounts for unauthorized access and apply the recommended configuration (explained in the advisory). Customers can also contact GoAnywhere’s support team for assistance in this regard.

Nonetheless, a few days after the vulnerability disclosure and active exploitation reports, the vendors released an emergency fix. As explained in their recent advisory, they have rolled out the patch with GoAnywhere MFT version 7.1.2, urging users to update immediately.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Chinese Threat Actors Utilize 0-Day

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Chinese Threat Actors Utilize 0-Day
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The attackers are targeting FortiOS customers, including an Africa-based MSP (managed service provider) and a European government entity.

Fortinet is an international provider of network security solutions that protect organizations from cyber threats. Lately, Fortinet’s products are quite popular among cybercriminals worldwide due to security vulnerabilities.

According to the latest report from cybersecurity firm Mandiant, a Chinese threat actor is using malware and exploiting a previously patched vulnerability found in Fortinet FortiOS SSL-VPN as a zero-day. The attacker is targeting an Africa-based MSP (managed service provider) and a European government entity.

Findings Details

Google-owned Mandiant discovered the malware in December 2022 which it dubbed BOLDMOVE. Further probe revealed that the threat actor exploited the vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-42475.

Telemetry data suggested that the malicious activity started in October 2022, around two months before Fortinet released fixes. This bug allowed an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the compromised system and present it in different versions of the FortiOS and FortiProxy technologies.

Researchers were sure about the involvement of a China-based threat actor because the exploit activity showcased the Chinese pattern of exploiting internet-exposed devices, mainly those used for managed security purposes like IDS appliances and firewalls.

Furthermore, the backdoor was specifically designed to run on Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. The activity aims to conduct cyber-espionage operations against government entities or those associated with them.

About the Malware

As per Ben Read, Mandiant’s cyber-espionage analysis director, BOLDMOVE was discovered in December in a public repository and linked to the bug found earlier in FortiOS SSL-VPN because the company had released it in its initial vulnerability disclosure.

The backdoor is written in C and has two versions, one for Windows and the other a Linux version, which the adversary has probably customized for FortiOS. When the Linux version is executed, it tries to connect to a hardcoded C2 server.

If the attack is successful, BOLDMOVE collects information about the system it landed on and conveys it to the C2 server. Then the instructions are relayed to the malware, after which the adversary gains complete remote control of the impacted FortiOS device.

Read noted that some of the malware’s core functions, like the capability of downloading additional files or opening a reverse shell, are pretty typical. However, the customized Linux version is more dangerous as it can manipulate some features specific to the FortiOS.

“With BOLDMOVE, the attackers not only developed an exploit, but malware that shows an in-depth understanding of systems, services, logging, and undocumented proprietary formats,” Mandiant’s report read.

  1. Chinese Hackers Hiding Malware in Windows Logo
  2. Hackers exploiting critical vulnerabilities in Fortinet VPN
  3. FBI issues flash alert after APT groups exploited VPN flaws
  4. Hackers dump login data of Fortinet VPN users in plain-text
  5. Windows, Linux & macOS Users Targeted by Chinese Group

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OPPO may expand its foldable smartphone portoflio

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OPPO may expand its foldable smartphone portoflio
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OPPO announced several rather popular foldable smartphones thus far. OPPO may even be looking to expand its smartphone portfolio this year. What do we mean by that? Well, read on.

OPPO may expand its foldable smartphone portfolio this year

A mysterious OPPO PHN110 smartphone was mentioned in a new report. Digital Chat Station, a tipster, says that OPPO is reportedly developing that device. He did not specifically mention what device this is, but… it possibly is not the Find N3.

Digital Chat Station did share some specs of this smartphone. He mentioned that the device will have a display with a screen resolution of 2440 x 2268, which hints at a main foldable display. That display will also offer a 120Hz refresh rate.

This is a higher screen resolution than what the OPPO Find N2 offers. The Find N2’s main display has a screen resolution of 1792 x 1920. This could mean that the Find N3 will feature a larger display, that OPPO simply decided to considerably boost the sharpness, or… that a larger variant of the Find N2/N3 is coming.

This device will have a larger display and a larger battery, it seems

Any of those could be true, but we’ll go with the last option, if we have to choose. The display is not the only reason, though. The tipster also said that this phone will feature a 4,805mAh battery (3,295mAh + 1,510mAh). That is a considerably larger battery than what the Find N2 offers. That phone has a 4,200mAh unit. Needless to say, this is another hint at a larger phone.

A 50-megapixel main camera will also be a part of the package, as will Hasselblad’s branding and expertise. We’re not sure when this phone will launch, but it’ll likely arrive later this year.

OPPO will, hopefully, keep releasing compact foldable phones, though. The OPPO Find N and N2 were quite popular in China, even though OPPO didn’t release them globally. It would be nice to see the Find N3 with a similar form factor, but with global availability.

It is possible the device Digital Chat Station is the OPPO Find N3, but it’s larger, of course. We do hope OPPO will stick with the size of the OPPO Find N and N2, though, and that we’ll get two differently-sized smartphones to compete with the Galaxy Z Fold series.


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Here are the improvements Elon Musk made to Twitter

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Here are the improvements Elon Musk made to Twitter
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Elon Musk has listed some of the improvements he made to Twitter after taking over the company in late October. The billionaire will definitely make more radical changes in 2023.

Twitter Under Elon Musk has gone through a series of changes, from laying off at least 50% of employees to releasing the notorious Twitter Files that made the company a target for public criticism. Musk even auctioned the Twitter HQ stuff like espresso machines and luxury chairs.

Beyond these, some technical changes were made to the platform that reportedly positively impacted user interaction. Musk has now listed these changes to highlight his team efforts since October.

Elon Musk highlights Twitter changes since October

The first change was made to the Fanout service for the Following feed. According to Musk, the service was overloaded when he tweeted, resulting in 95% of his tweets not getting delivered. The new Following, however, pulls from the search (aka Earlybird), and when the Fanout crashes, it would also destroy anyone else’s tweets in the queue.

Musk also changed the Twitter recommendation algorithm. The old algorithm used absolute block count rather than percentile block count. This recommendation algorithm was also a source of dispute in the past, as Conservatives believed the algorithm gives special treatment to left-wing content.

Other changes Elon Musk mentions are removing the height penalty affecting tweets with pics/videos, increased number of recommended tweets, and better tracking of dropped tweets. Additionally, the company removed the filter that caused false negatives along with the penalty, if the user follows the author. Likewise, the reach of retweets is improved to help users get more exposure. The oversized font and undersized paragraph spacing will also be fixed this week.

Despite previous news that Elon Musk wants to leave his role as Twitter CEO, he’s still running the company. The billionaire recently said he had to make tough decisions to save Twitter from bankruptcy.


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Popular social media app accused of hooking kids up with drug dealers (VIDEO)

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Popular social media app accused of hooking kids up with drug dealers (VIDEO)
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NBC News is reporting that some parents are accusing social media app Snapchat of helping their kids find easy access to drugs. These parents have filed a lawsuit against Snapchat and its parent company SNAP. Amy Neville’s 14-year-old son allegedly used the app to connect with a drug dealer who sold him pills that were laced with fentanyl. The latter is a powerful narcotic that is 100x stronger than morphine and it doesn’t take much to kill an unsuspecting user.

Neville, talking about kids who have died after buying pills containing fentanyl from dealers via Snapchat said, “And they’re gone because apps like Snapchat…make these dangers accessible to our kids.” More than 50 parents have filed what NBC News calls “a string of lawsuits” that say Snapchat “ignored the harms its product was causing users” and said that the company turned the reins of the app over to drug dealers.

An attorney with the Social Media Victims Law Center said that he had no idea “how pervasive this problem is”

Matthew Bergman, an attorney with the Social Media Victims Law Center, is representing several of the grieving parents and noted that calls continue to come into his office. “I had no idea how pervasive this problem was, Bergman said.” The attorney added that he had just received calls from seven more families that had lost children to drugs purchased through dealers that were supposedly discovered on Snapchat.

Bergman points out that while other social media platforms have unintentionally hosted drug dealers, certain features of Snapchat make it more favorable for drug transactions. One is the disappearing messages feature that allows messages to vanish. And the Snap Map can be used to find the exact location of dealers.

NBC’s Seattle affiliate KING-TV filmed one overdose survivor as he used his phone and the Snapchat app to find a dealer showing how easy the whole process is. The dealer he found was willing to deliver the narcotics to the survivor’s home. “It’s pretty much Amazon for drugs,” he said.

In a statement given to NBC News Snapchat said that it works closely with law enforcement and “uses cutting-edge technology to…find and shut down drug dealers’ accounts…block search results for drug-related terms.” It also redirects such searches to resources that explain to Snapchat users about the dangers of fentanyl. Snapchat also helped produce a public service announcement about the dangers of fentanyl.

“Whatever it is they [Snapchat] say they’re doing is not enough, and they need to do more,” said Neville, the mother of the aforementioned 14-year-old who succumbed to the fentanyl pills he purchased from a dealer he allegedly found on Snapchat. The scary thing is that only 50 micrograms of fentanyl could kill someone who is not used to taking opioids.

How to find out who your children have been messaging on Snapchat

Snapchat’s disappearing messages feature was the hook that made the app popular when it was first released on iOS in 2011 and the app became available for Android users the following year. It was the first social media app to offer the Stories format (which was “borrowed,” shall we say, by Instagram). These days the app is known more for its filters and lenses.

So if you’re concerned about your child possibly using Snapchat to buy drugs, there are things you can watch for. Has your child’s grades started to decline, even in those subjects where he or she used to shine? Is your child hanging around a different group of kids? Are his eyes “pinned”? Narcotic painkillers will make the user’s pupils dot-sized. Watch for shifting moods from euphoric to depressed. When the child is without pills, he could go through withdrawal which will rob him of his energy and make it appear as though he/she has the flu.

And while parents can’t see the content of messages that their kids send and receive on Snapchat, with the app’s Family Center, parents can see who their children (must be under 18 years old) messaged over the past seven days. To get to Family Center, open Snapchat and tap your avatar in the upper left corner. Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner and under the Privacy Controls heading, tap on Family Center. Press the Quick Start guide for parents and guardians.


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