Data Leak Exposes 1.5 Billion Real Estate Records, Including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner

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Data Leak Exposes 1.5 Billion Real Estate Records, Including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner
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From Elon Musk and Kylie Jenner to Britney Spears, Donald J. Trump, and Floyd Mayweather, real estate records of top celebrities and common homeowners were exposed online without any security authentication or password.

Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered and alerted VPNMentor to an unprotected database associated with the New York-based online platform Real Estate Wealth Network. The exposed database held 1.5 billion records, including real estate ownership data for millions of individuals.

With a size of 1.16 TB (1,523,776,691 records in total), the database featured organized folders containing information on property owners, sellers, investors, and internal user logging data. It encompassed daily logging records spanning from 4/22/23 to 10/23/23, revealing internal user search data.

Founded in 1993 by Cameron Dunlap, Real Estate Wealth Network provides education and resources for real estate investing. The platform charges an annual, non-refundable fee of $1,450, granting access to an extensive collection of data, including online courses, training materials, a community, and mentorship/coaching from experienced professionals.

Upon examination, Fowler discovered that the purported property ownership data of well-known individuals such as Kylie Jenner, Blake Shelton, Britney Spears, Floyd Mayweather, Dave Chappelle, Elon Musk & Associates LLC, Dolly Parton, Donald J. Trump, Mark Wahlberg, and Nancy Pelosi was included in the exposed database.

Data Leak Exposes 1.5 Billion Real Estate Records, Including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner
Screenshots from the leaked records reveal data on Dave Chappelle, Dolly Parton, and Floyd Mayweather. (Source: Image exclusively provided by Jeremiah Fowler to Hackread.com)
Data Leak Exposes 1.5 Billion Real Estate Records, Including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner
Screenshots from the leaked records reveal data on Nancy Pelosi, Elon Musk, Donald J Trump, Zach Galifianakis, Mark Wahlberg. (Source: Image exclusively provided by Jeremiah Fowler to Hackread.com)
Data Leak Exposes 1.5 Billion Real Estate Records, Including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner

The online exposure of celebrities’ home addresses could pose various risks, including threats to their safety, invasion of privacy, stalking, and harassment by fans or malicious individuals.

“The data was organized in various folders according to property history, motivated sellers, bankruptcy, divorce, tax liens, foreclosure, home owner association (HOA) liens, inheritance, court judgments, obituary (death), vacant properties, and more,” VPNMentor’s blog post read.

Whether famous or not, everyone is at risk because real estate tax data, containing details on property ownership, assessed property values, tax assessment history, and property tax payment history, can be exploited by criminals to collect personal information about property owners.

Threat actors can leverage the data to target users through social engineering or phishing attacks, aiming to acquire financial or other personal information. The exposure of records indicating whether an individual purchased their house with cash, without a mortgage loan, or if they have fully paid off their mortgage, may heighten the risk of financial fraud.

Property and mortgage fraud continue to be pressing concerns, with the FBI reporting 11,578 cases resulting in $350 million in losses within a single year, reflecting a 20% increase since 2017. Property fraud typically involves stealing a homeowner’s identity and forging ownership documents.

Although the exposed database has been secured from public access, a representative from Real Estate Wealth Network has confirmed ownership. The duration of the exposure and potential unauthorized access remain unclear. Only an internal forensic audit could ascertain whether the records were accessed, extracted, or downloaded.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential misuse of readily available information for fraudulent activities. Property owners should exercise caution when sharing personal information, particularly in response to unsolicited requests for property details. Understanding the risks associated with semi-public data is crucial for safeguarding assets.

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Some Google Home Mini gets bricked after a firmware update

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Some Google Home Mini gets bricked after a firmware update
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The once-popular Google Home Mini, known for its affordability and Google Assistant integration, is facing a potential issue that has left some users with bricked devices. The reason is reportedly a recent firmware update.

Over the past few weeks, users on Google’s forum and Reddit have shared their experiences of the Home Mini suddenly failing to turn on, even after attempting a hard reset. The four lights on the device illuminated, but it didn’t go any further, rendering the speaker non-operational. While the problem is related to a recent firmware update, it’s important to note that the update didn’t affect all units.

According to a Google community manager, the company is investigating the problem. Affected users can to submit feedback reports with the “Send device usage data and crash reports to Google” option enabled to help Google diagnose the issue. Some users have reported a temporary resolution where their bricked units started working after being plugged in overnight. However, it’s not consistent for all affected devices.

Users with a working Google Home Mini may prevent installation of the firmware causing the issue until it gets a fix

As the Home Mini is now a few years old, users facing this issue are ineligible for replacements through Google’s support, as the standard one-year warranty has expired. This leaves affected users in a somewhat precarious position, dependent on Google’s efforts to resolve the bug and issue a corrective update.

This isn’t the first time Google has faced a firmware-related problem with the Home Mini. A similar incident occurred in September 2019, leading to Google offering free replacements to affected customers. However, the current situation is unique as the Home Mini is no longer officially on sale. Users may disconnect their working Home Mini units from the internet to prevent automatic updates that might trigger the reported bricking issue until Google provides a resolution.

We will update the story as Google shares more information or hopefully a fix. Affected users and the broader tech community will observe Google’s response to this issue, especially considering the device’s age.


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Samsung Galaxy A55 spotted with Exynos 1480 SoC, AMD GPU

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Samsung Galaxy A55 spotted with Exynos 1480 SoC, AMD GPU
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Last week, Samsung launched the Galaxy A15 and Galaxy A25. It has a couple more A-series phones in the pipeline, namely the Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55. Leaks have already divulged a lot of information about the devices. They are expected to be powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1480 processor featuring a custom AMD GPU. A new benchmark listing has pretty much confirmed that, at least for the Galaxy A55.

Samsung will ship the Galaxy A55 with its in-house Exynos 1480 SoC

The folks over at MySmartPrice recently spotted an unannounced Samsung smartphone with the model number SM-A556B on the popular benchmarking site Geekbench. Based on previous leaks, it is none other than the Galaxy A55. The listing shows the device with an octa-core processor bearing the model number s5e8845, which is the Korean firm’s next-gen mid-range SoC, the Exynos 1480.

The Galaxy A55 scored 1,127 in single-core CPU tests and 3,090 in multi-core CPU tests on Geekbench v6. The scores are higher than what the Galaxy A54 achieved with its Exynos 1380 processor. A previous Geekbench v6 run for the upcoming Exynos chipset yielded even better scores—1,185 and 3,558, respectively. Samsung seems to have improved the CPU performance of its new processor.

Speaking of the CPU, the Exynos 1480 has four high-performance CPU cores clocked at 2.75GHz and four efficiency cores at 2.05GHz. Digging deeper into the new benchmark listing, the publication discovered that Samsung has paired the CPU with the Xclipse 530 GPU. It is the first mid-range custom GPU the Korean firm has developed in collaboration with AMD. The company already uses AMD-powered GPUs in flagship chipsets.

We can also see that the Galaxy A55 has 8GB of RAM and runs Android 14 out of the box. Samsung may also offer the phone in a 6GB RAM variant. Early evidence suggests the phone will deliver a better overall performance as compared to the current model, i.e. the Galaxy A54. The company could improve the chipset with further optimizations ahead of the phone’s launch.

The new A-series phones may launch in the first quarter of 2024

Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy S24 series flagships in January 2024. The company would prefer to keep the device in the limelight for at least a couple of months. So it might not unveil the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 before March next year. The 2023 models debuted in March too. We should get to learn more about the upcoming A-series Samsung smartphones in the coming months.


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Samsung Health update adds medication feature to the app

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Samsung Health update adds medication feature to the app
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Samsung has just announced that its Health app is getting a very important new feature in the latest update, which should help those on medication. A new tracking feature will be added to the Samsung Health app to make it easier for users to manage their health more comprehensively.

With the Medications feature, Samsung Health users will be provided with detailed info, including general descriptions and possible side effects. In addition, the Medication feature will also offer information about adverse reactions that could occur from drug-to-drug interactions or if taken alongside certain food and substances such as caffeine and alcohol.

“Samsung Health aims to help people better understand and manage their health through a holistic platform by connecting devices, services and people. With the addition of the new Medications tracking feature, we believe users will be able to more conveniently manage their medications, improve adherence and ultimately maintain better health overall,” said Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics.Another useful functionality of the feature makes it possible for users to set up alerts to remind them to take their medications and when they should consider refilling them. According to Samsung, the alerts are fine-tuned to the individual user so the feature can prioritize medications depending on their importance.

It’s also important to mention that Samsung Galaxy Watch users will receive reminders right on their wrist. The new Medications tracking feature will be initially available on Samsung Health app in the United States via the app updates rolling out later this week.


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Galaxy S24 base model could offer 12GB RAM in some regions

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Galaxy S24 base model could offer 12GB RAM in some regions
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There are still four weeks to go before Samsung unveils the Galaxy S24 series flagships. However, fans have already started lamenting some of its decisions. People are particularly disappointed about the amount of RAM the company is providing on the base model. A recent leak showed that the Galaxy S24 comes with just 8GB of RAM. Thankfully, that might not be the end of the story. A 12GB RAM variant of the phone might exist too.

Samsung may be readying a Galaxy S24 variant with 12GB of RAM

If you have been following Galaxy S24 rumors since the early days, you might remember that the entire lineup was said to get a RAM boost of 4GB. To be specific, the base and Plus models were expected to ship with 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB RAM. Likewise, the Galaxy S24 Ultra would jump from 12GB  to 16GB RAM. Rumors said the company can afford this without increasing the price thanks to the switch to the in-house Exynos chipset.

However, once the Galaxy S24 phones started appearing in more detailed leaks, it became evident that the base model doesn’t have a 12GB RAM variant. Various online listings showed it with just 8GB of RAM. Noted X tipster Revegnus recently posted photographs detailing the RAM, storage, and color options for the entire Galaxy S24 lineup. It also showed 8GB RAM for the base model, though the Plus has 12GB RAM (Ultra has 12GB too).

Another tipster has now chipped in with an interesting piece of information. Ice Universe, as we know them on X, says it is “very possible” that the Galaxy S24 has 12GB RAM in some regions. They aren’t “100% sure” about the markets where Samsung could offer more RAM but their source appears confident that the phone will have two RAM options in a few markets. We might get more details soon.

The phone still starts at 128GB of storage

Early rumors also hinted at 256GB of base storage for all three Galaxy S24 models. However, it appears the base model will still start at 128GB of storage. If a 12GB RAM variant exists, Samsung may pair it with 256GB storage as standard. The other two models start at 256GB, with the Ultra going up to 1TB of storage. The Korean firm is expected to unveil the new flagship lineup on January 17, 2024, so it isn’t a long wait now.


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Nomad announced its first Qi2 Wireless Charging Stand, and it costs $100

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Nomad announced its first Qi2 Wireless Charging Stand, and it costs $100
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Nomad has just announced yet another new wireless charger, which is a Qi2 wireless charger. That’s going to be the new wireless charging standard going forward, and we’re already starting to see some phones launching with Qi2 support. And it’ll be available in both black and white like Nomad’s other wireless chargers.

This new Qi2 Stand is able to support 15W wireless charging on Qi2 devices, which includes the iPhone 13, 14, and 15 models. So far, there are no available Android phones that have Qi2 support. But we do expect that to change in 2024.

Nomad confirms that a 20W adapter is needed for this charger to work, and unfortunately, it is not included in the box. That’s something we’ve seen the accessory makers starting to do, as well as the phone makers. It’s unfortunate, especially when this charger is $100. For iPhone users, this will work fully with StandBy mode, which was added in iOS 17 earlier this year. There’s nothing special to make that work, of course, but Nomad does make it possible by not having anything in the way.

What exactly is Qi2?

You may or may not have heard about Qi2 over the last few months. It’s pronounced as “chee two”, and it’s the next iteration of wireless charging, as standardized by the Wireless Power Consortium.

With Qi2, the WPC is incorporating the magnetic charging alignment that Apple introduced with MagSafe, and basically making it available to all devices with wireless charging. And it will also support up to 15W wireless charging, which is double what the current Qi standard supports.

The big advantage for Qi2 when it comes to iPhone users is that manufacturers like Nomad won’t need to license the MagSafe charging functionality from Apple. Those that aren’t officially licensed from Apple, are limited to 10W of charging, which might not sound like a big difference from 15W, but it can be a huge difference.


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WhatsApp working to bring audio sharing over video calls feature to Android users too

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WhatsApp working to bring audio sharing over video calls feature to Android users too
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WhatsApp is always working to add new features to its app, so it’s no surprise that beta users are already seeing some options that are not yet available to anyone else. The new feature that’s available for WhatsApp beta users on Android allows them to share audio content during a video call.

This feature was originally released in a previous beta version of WhatsApp for iOS, so it’s safe to assume that the ability to share audio over video calls will eventually come to both iOS and Android platforms.

With WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.26.18, users can listen to video and music audio together. When the screen is shared, audio played on a device will also be shared with people in the call (via WaBetaInfo).

Just like on iOS, this feature will not work during voice calls or video calls that have video disabled. Obviously, since this is still under development, it’s hard to say when it will be available for everyone, but if we were to guess, WhatsApp will not release it until next year.

For those who want to try it out, enrolling in the beta program is easy and doesn’t require too much of your time. Be prepared to experience some bugs though.

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New JaskaGO Malware Targets Mac and Windows for Crypto, Browser Data

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New JaskaGO Malware Targets Mac and Windows for Crypto, Browser Data
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A recently discovered cross-platform malware, appropriately named JaskaGO, has surfaced, targeting both macOS and Windows systems.

Cybersecurity researchers at AT&T Alien Labs have discovered a sophisticated malware strain called JaskaGO, crafted in the Go (Golang) programming language and equipped with the ability to maintain persistence in infected systems. It can exfiltrate valuable information, including browser credentials and cryptocurrency wallet details.

JaskaGO was detected in July 2023, targeting Mac users. Since then, the threat has evolved its capabilities and developed in both macOS and Windows versions, with a low detection rate, as evidenced by recent anti-virus engine samples.

According to AT&T Alien Labs’ report, JaskaGO is a deceptive tool that presents a fake error message claiming a missing file to mislead users into believing the malicious code failed to run.

New JaskaGO Malware Targets Mac and Windows for Crypto, Browser Data

Further, it uses file names resembling well-known applications, such as “Capcut_Installer_Intel_M1.dmg” and “Anyconnect.exe,” suggesting a common strategy of malware deployment under the guise of legitimate software in pirated application web pages.

The malware first scans the system to determine if it is operating within a virtual machine (VM), obtaining general machine information, such as the number of processors, system up-time, available system memory, and MAC addresses. The presence of MAC addresses associated with well-known VM software, such as VMware or VirtualBox, is a key indicator.

If not detected, it starts collecting information and continuously queries its C2 server, awaiting instructions for various commands. These commands include creating persistence, stealer functionalities, pinging the command and control, executing shell commands, alert messages, retrieving the running process list, executing files on disk or in memory, writing to the clipboard, performing random tasks, downloading and executing additional payloads, initiating the process to exit (self), and initiating the process to exit and delete itself.

JaskaGO is equipped with extensive data exfiltration capabilities, and stores acquired data in a specially created folder, zipping and sending it to the attacker. It can be configured to target additional browsers, collecting browser information such as credentials, history, cookies, password encryption keys, profile files, and login information.

Persistence mechanisms are established through two methods: Service Creation in Windows and Execution as Root in macOS. In Windows, the malware creates a Windows Terminal profile by generating the file: UserName\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft. WindowsTerminal_*\LocalState\settings.json.”

On macOS, the malware employs a multi-step process to establish persistence within the system: Execution as Root, Disabling Gatekeeper, and Duplicating itself. To ensure persistence, the malware creates either LaunchDaemon or LaunchAgent based on successful root access to get automatically launched during system startup and further embed itself into the macOS environment.

JaskaGO is still being investigated; but serves as a warning to Mac users who may have felt unaffected by cyber threats, emphasizing the importance of constant vigilance regardless of the chosen operating system.

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Android 14 update is rolling out to Samsung’s Galaxy A52

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Android 14 update is rolling out to Samsung’s Galaxy A52
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Samsung has just released the Android 14 update for another Galaxy smartphone. The big update is rolling out to the Galaxy A52, a premium mid-range device from 2021. It brings One UI 6.0, which contains all Android 14 features and more, and the December security patch.

Galaxy A52 gets Samsung’s Android 14 update

Samsung’s Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update for the Galaxy A52 is currently rolling out in Europe. The big Android update comes with the firmware build number A526BXXU5FWL1 in the region. The OTA (over-the-air) file has a size of almost 2.2GB. Users in other regions such as the US will get One UI 6.0 with a similar firmware version and file size in the coming days.

The big file size is because of the amount of changes this update brings to the Galaxy A52. After all, we are talking about a major Android OS upgrade. Samsung has revamped several UI elements for a more intuitive user experience. It has also added new camera features, editing tools, homescreen widgets, gestures, and more. Stock apps such as Samsung Notes, Samsung Keyboard, Samsung Internet, and others also get new features and improvements.

Along with these goodies, the Android 14 update for the Galaxy A52 bundles the latest security fixes. The December SMR (Security Maintenance Release) from Samsung patches more than 60 vulnerabilities. A handful of those are confirmed to be critical issues. The company has already pushed the new SMR to the phone in some markets, including the US. Android 14 will not bring additional security fixes to those units.

This mid-range phone may not get Android 15

Samsung launched the Galaxy A52 with Android 11 onboard in March 2021. With Android 14, the device has picked up three major Android OS upgrades. That may be it for the aging premium mid-range phone. The Korean firm promises four major updates for newer flagships and premium A-series phones, including the Galaxy S21 series from 2021. However, there is little chance the Galaxy A52 will get Android 15.

We are still hopeful of the phone receiving One UI 6.1, though. The new One UI version, which is still based on Android 14, debuts with the Galaxy S24 series early next year. It brings several new AI features, some of which should trickle down to the Galaxy A52. Security updates for the phone will come at least until March 2025. We will let you know when Samsung pushes more updates to it. You can check for updates manually from the Settings app.


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Anyone can generate music with this new AI tool

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Anyone can generate music with this new AI tool
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We’re at a point where AI can make pretty much anything, and that’s becoming more true as time goes on. We’ve been hearing about AI music makers over the past couple of months, and they’re set to be the next frontier in generative AI. Well, there’s a new AI music generator called Suno that aims to lead this frontier.

If you want to use this service, you’ll have to set up an account. To do this, you’ll be able to use your Discord account and Google account. Once you’re in, you’ll have access to 50 credits before you need to pay for the subscription. The cheapest subscription costs $8/month, and it lets you generate about 500 songs each month. There’s also a $30/month tier that lets you make about 2,000 songs each month.

Suno is an AI tool that lets you generate music

To start making your music, go to the official Suno Create page. There, you’ll see a pretty simple interface with a text field on the left side of the screen. Here, you’ll enter the lyrics that you want for your song. In the lyrics, you can map out where you want the verse and the chorus to be. You can also map out other sections like drum solo, guitar interlude, outro, etc. The sky is the limit with this tool.

After you write your lyrics, you’ll be able to customize the sound of your new song. You can type what genre you want the song to be in. There’s no dropdown menu with a list of genres, so you’ll need to type it in manually. We’re not sure how many genres it can generate music in, so don’t be surprised if you try to make music in a genre that’s not in the tool’s database.

This seems like a fun tool to try out and experiment with. You never know if you’ll generate your next favorite hit. This tool is also available as a Microsoft Copilot extension.


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