Author Topic: Five users sue Facebook (Read 26515 times)

*CountessA* · « **on:** August 19, 2009, 11:47:37 AM »

Quote

Five Facebook users are suing the social network for doing what made it an online superstar — letting members share aspects of their lives on the Web.

A lawsuit filed Monday in a southern California court accuses Facebook of being a data-mining operation that does not deliver on promises to give users strict control of data uploaded to profile pages.

Facebook has dismissed the lawsuit as being without merit and promised a legal battle. The suit asks for unspecified cash damages.

One of the parties to the suit is a woman who joined Facebook in an early phase when membership was limited to the college crowd.

Then-Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 as a way for college friends to remain connected as their lives grew apart.

The suit accuses Facebook of betraying the woman by evolving into an open social network that now claims more than 250 million members worldwide.

Other plaintiffs named in the suit are identified as a photographer and an actress who contend Facebook is wrongly sharing pictures posted on their profile pages.

The remaining plaintiffs are young boys that the suit charges should not have been permitted by Facebook to join or post images or comments.

Facebook requires members to be ages 13 or older, but there is no viable tool to confirm ages of those creating accounts.

One plaintiff is an 11-year-old boy who joined Facebook and then posted that he had swine flu and uploaded pictures or video of "partially-clothed" children swimming, according to the lawsuit.

Facebook has steadfastly maintained that its members own information they post to profile pages and control who gets to see it.

Facebook has repeatedly revised its terms of service to appease privacy concerns of users while allowing for the technical side of running a social networking service.

Last month, Facebook announced it is testing a tiered level of privacy options including "all of your friends, your friends and people in your school or work networks, and friends of friends."

There is also an option to publicly share with everyone on the Web in what is being seen as an effort by Facebook to compete with the hot micro-blogging service Twitter.

*CountessA* · « **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2009, 11:48:53 AM »

And in related news...

Quote

A hacking incident report released on Monday warns there has been a steep rise in attacks at social-networking hotspots including wildly popular microblogging service Twitter.

Hackers aren't just hunting for victims in the flocks of people at social networks, they're also using Twitter to command "botnet" armies of infected computers, according to internet security specialists.

"Any website with a huge user following is now attracting the bad guys," said Ryan Barnett, director of application security research for Breach Security.

"A lot of web 2.0 widgets, mashups and the like that users go for make it easy for all these guys to launch attacks."

Facebook became an internet star after opening its platform to widgets, mini-applications made by outside developers, and now boasts more than 250 million members.

Barnett was among the authors of a web Hacking Incidents Database Bi-Annual Report that concluded social-networking was the most popular "vertical market" for hackers in the first six months of this year.

The prime targets for attacks in 2008 were government and law enforcement websites, according to the web Hacking Incidents Database.

Researchers analysed computer security incidents worldwide, finding the number of web attacks jumped 30 per cent from the same period last year. Hackers targeted social networks in 19 per cent of the attacks, according to the report.

"If you look back at 2007 and 2008 reports, criminals who are profit-driven with an end goal of identity theft were targeting e-commerce websites," Barnett said.

"What we started to see last year is that they are continuing to do that but that they have really branched out."

*CountessA* · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2009, 11:51:07 AM »

And again...

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Twitter's been having a rough couple of weeks.

A researcher looking into the attacks that knocked Twitter offline last week discovered another, unrelated security problem.

At least one criminal was using a Twitter account to control a network of a couple hundred infected personal computers, mostly in Brazil. Networks of infected PCs are referred to as "botnets" and are responsible for so much of the mayhem online, from identity theft to spamming to the types of attacks that crippled Twitter.

Jose Nazario with Arbor Networks said he found a Twitter account that was used to send out what looked like garbled messages. But they were actually commands for computers in a botnet to visit malicious Web sites, where they download programs that steal banking passwords.

The affected Twitter account was taken down. Twitter didn't immediately respond to e-mails for comment.

Nazario said what appeared to be the same person was doing the same thing on an account with a Google Inc. service called Jaiku, which is similar to Twitter.

Google said the affected account was shut down.

The technique Nazario described isn't sophisticated, and a couple of hundred infected computers is small when some botnets contain hundreds of thousands of infected PCs.

But it shows how criminals are finding inventive ways to exploit legitimate social networking services to help with their dirty work. One reason social networks are an attractive target for crooks is because their content is hard to monitor, and because people click on lots of links inside their accounts, which is a key way computer infections are spread.

"I wouldn't call it rocket science, but it's effective," Nazario said. "This is the problem with free social media that people need to be aware of."

The revelation comes on the heels of a destructive "denial-of-service" attack that brought down Twitter at stretches last week. Those attacks appear to have targeted a lone blogger in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, but affected the entire Twitter service.

Denial-of-service attacks consist of flooding a website with so much traffic that its servers buckle under the strain. That's either done by pounding it with an immense volume of traffic (which can be easy to thwart), or increasingly, hammering a site with lots of harder-to-detect computing-intensive requests, like trying to log in or do searches, which can also bring a site to its knees. Botnets, or networks of zombie computers, are the main weapon in both attacks.

*Yibida* · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2009, 12:17:07 PM »

Snipe....sweet!.

*Yibida* · « **Reply #4 on:** August 19, 2009, 12:36:16 PM »

I rest my case......Ha!.. and some fools said on the ebay forum this site was a risk...monumental fools !...

http://www.ozroundtable.com/index.php?topic=706.0

bobbybigbear · « **Reply #5 on:** August 19, 2009, 12:45:47 PM »

I have seen some of the photo's of those on Facebook, I reckon I would sue them as well.

cueperkins · « **Reply #6 on:** August 19, 2009, 02:05:32 PM »

One reason social networks are an attractive target for crooks is because their content is hard to monitor, and because people click on lots of links inside their accounts, which is a key way computer infections are spread.

Poddy · « **Reply #7 on:** August 19, 2009, 02:47:43 PM »

What is facebook??

*Yibida* · « **Reply #8 on:** August 19, 2009, 02:49:22 PM »

Quote from: Poddy on August 19, 2009, 02:47:43 PM

What is facebook??

I have never used it but I think it's like photo bucket?... but instead of pictures you collect people?...LOLOL

Poddy · « **Reply #9 on:** August 19, 2009, 02:55:59 PM »

Just faces??

Messy !!!!

Roo · « **Reply #10 on:** August 19, 2009, 06:45:21 PM »

Facebook can be a handy site if you are wanting to catch up with old school friends or workmates.

Just type in the name of your school or organization...peoples names if you remember them...and you may have a good chance of finding them.

*CountessA* · « **Reply #11 on:** August 20, 2009, 04:36:11 PM »

... and more...

Quote

The 100 websites most affected by viruses each have about 18,000 nasties to attack net users' computers, an internet security company says.

Simply visiting one of the "Top 100 Dirtiest" websites - without downloading or even clicking anything - could expose your computer to infection and put your personal information into the hands of criminals, anti-virus software company Norton Symantec says.

Company spokeswoman Natalie Connor says the list was compiled using global data collected on Norton Safe Web, a site which analyses websites' security risks and has 20 million users providing site reviews.

The top 100 infected sites had on average 18,000 threats and 40 per cent of the sites had more than 20,000 threats.

A staggering 75 per cent of websites on the list were found to be distributing "malware" for more than six months.

Malware is malicious software that can damage or compromise a computer system without the owner's consent.

Ms Connor said half of the websites on the list had adult content. Many have unprintable names indicating they contain hard core pornography.

Others, not so easy to spot as criminals' lures, include sites about ice-skating, deer-hunting, catering and legal services.

"What people don't realise is when you type in a website, you're bringing down information on a page and with it could be malware," she said.

Hackers could then obtain personal information using keystroke logging software maliciously installed on your computer.

Ms Connor said hackers were targeting vulnerabilities in website browsers and this affected both PCs and Mac computers.

"It's real," she said.

"The last thing we want to do is scare people, we want to educate them so they know how to protect themselves."

Cyber criminals were becoming increasingly sophisticated and operating underground, Ms Connor said.

"It's not about the fame any more of creating viruses and getting in the media," she said.

"They're making money."

Even if only one per cent of internet users fell for a scam and exposed their credit card details, their losses could add up to millions of dollars, Ms Connor said.

cueperkins · « **Reply #12 on:** August 20, 2009, 04:55:29 PM »

So what can people do to check if they have malware keylogging software on their computer? Do the usual virus programs do that or do you need more?

*CountessA* · « **Reply #13 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:03:04 PM »

You need good virus protection, and you need to run the scans regularly. People should also avoid visiting porn sites - of course it won't help if the malware is on an innocent-looking ice-skating site, but the possibility of getting a computer nasty is higher when visiting pornography sites than non-pornography sites.

It's important to make sure your anti-virus software is up to date, and that your o/s has installed necessary updates.

Poddy · « **Reply #14 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:25:29 PM »

On one particular PC that I was asked to clean there were in excess of 1,100 bits of spyware, greyware, adware, malware, trojans and viruses.

I happen to know the owner personally, who is a security officer.

The infections were tracked down to his internet service provider, the provider's security was breached and a flood of crap went out to a lot of users.

Needless to say make sure you are with a big well known provider, they can afford better security for their site.

Advice, dont be a cheapskate when shopping around for an ISP

cueperkins · « **Reply #15 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:28:04 PM »

Yeah, but how did you clean it? i.e. what did you use to scan the computer and find the malware etc?

*Yibida* · « **Reply #16 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:29:50 PM »

Quote from: *Cupie* on August 20, 2009, 05:28:04 PM

Yeah, but how did you clean it? i.e. what did you use to scan the computer and find the malware etc?

The most thorough way is Format......

cueperkins · « **Reply #17 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:31:07 PM »

And that means?????

You pc types don't like to finish sentences do ya's?...lol

*Yibida* · « **Reply #18 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:32:18 PM »

Quote from: *Cupie* on August 20, 2009, 05:31:07 PM

And that means?????

You pc types don't like to finish sentences do ya's?...lol

Wipe everything off....a clean start... see... more than one word

cueperkins · « **Reply #19 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:34:06 PM »

But how do you know if you have this malware in the first place? is there a way to scan for it? if so, using what?

*Yibida* · « **Reply #20 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:35:24 PM »

Quote from: Yibida---<;)))< on August 20, 2009, 05:32:18 PM

Quote from: *Cupie* on August 20, 2009, 05:31:07 PM
And that means?????

You pc types don't like to finish sentences do ya's?...lol

Wipe everything off....a clean start... see... more than one word

That's why you should keep all precious things like family photos and personal things on an external Hard disc drive...so that you only plug it into the pc when you want to save something....

*Yibida* · « **Reply #21 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:36:41 PM »

Quote from: *Cupie* on August 20, 2009, 05:34:06 PM

But how do you know if you have this malware in the first place? is there a way to scan for it? if so, using what?

Some of it embeds itself into the operating systems registry and cannot always be found or removed....

Poddy · « **Reply #22 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:40:34 PM »

Cupie,

In my list of software tool I have several suites that I use for differend aspects of infestations.

Also for some you have to get right into the system registry to deactivate them.

The more serious infestations are beyond the scope of end users and even some so called 'computer engineers'.

In those cases, if the data is not critical, it is best to low level format and start afresh.

The best scenario is to keep data separate from the operating system and applications and to make an image of the operating system and applications every time there is a major change to those areas.
If the puker does happen to get infected the data is safe and the operating system and applications can be quickly restored from the image.

But end users very seldom take that advice

cueperkins · « **Reply #23 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:42:53 PM »

No Pod...the end user has no idea what the hell you are talking about....lmao.....So when you talk about formatting, you're saying ...dump everything and reload everything? numpty alarm warning....giving up round about......now !!! so you'd need someone who knows what they're doing right?

cueperkins · « **Reply #24 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:43:46 PM »

By the way I should mention, I'm more concerned about finding keystroke programs...is there an easy way to do that?

Poddy · « **Reply #25 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:53:20 PM »

I use Fixit-utilities as the first level of protection and deeper ferreting takes experience and the recognition of certain patterns of PC behavior.

I have not found, over the many years in the industry, ANY ONE application that does the lot.

Sorry I can't recommend a panacea to cure all PC ills because i have never found one

Some advice to people with sensitive information on their system.

Invest in a hardware firewall such as a Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall

And no I don't get commission from Netgear hahaha

Poddy · « **Reply #26 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:56:23 PM »

Cupie,

Any decent antivirus program should be able to pick up keyloggers, just make sure you keep the antivirus updated and that you run it regularly

*Yibida* · « **Reply #27 on:** August 20, 2009, 05:56:52 PM »

Quote from: Poddy on August 20, 2009, 05:53:20 PM

I use Fixit-utilities as the first level of protection and deeper ferreting takes experience and the recognition of certain patterns of PC behavior.

I have not found, over the many years in the industry, ANY ONE application that does the lot.

Sorry I can't recommend a panacea to cure all PC ills because i have never found one

Some advice to people with sensitive information on their system.

Invest in a hardware firewall such as a Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall

And no I don't get commission from Netgear hahaha

Poddy you forgot the old stand by favorite....Tin foil hat...LOL

cueperkins · « **Reply #28 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:01:28 PM »

Bite me yib....lol.....Poddy, is the trial version of fixit worth downloading just to do a spring clean? or is it limited and just a tease so you'll buy the paid version?
.

*Yibida* · « **Reply #29 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:07:05 PM »

Quote from: *Cupie* on August 20, 2009, 06:01:28 PM

Bite me yib....lol.....Poddy, is the trial version of fixit worth downloading just to do a spring clean? or is it limited and just a tease so you'll buy the paid version?
.

Tight Azz...want Free eh?.... trial versions are usually always useless, the necessary features are always left out..

cueperkins · « **Reply #30 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:08:42 PM »

Fine, Ok...I give up now....

Poddy · « **Reply #31 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:10:09 PM »

give me 5 and i will check

*Yibida* · « **Reply #32 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:11:56 PM »

Quote from: Poddy on August 20, 2009, 06:10:09 PM

give me 5 and i will check

Cupie just do as Poddy said in << Reply #22 and you'll be fine....Why all the concern?....your not a Porn surfer are you????

*Yibida* · « **Reply #33 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:16:04 PM »

Be back later...real life calls....

cueperkins · « **Reply #34 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:17:54 PM »

No Yib, I don't, but I can't account for the teenage kids of friends who have visited in the past year or two and used the computer, although I've not found anything in the history....it's a just in case measure actually...and since other websites could be infested, it concerns me. I do a lot of researching of different things on the net, so I tend to visit a lot of websites if I'm trying to track down info on something......You can never be too careful.....

And....Poddy's reply regarding formatting....I wouldn't go near that...have no idea how....lol

Poddy · « **Reply #35 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:23:57 PM »

Hmmmm.

i cant find anything about the limitations of the trial version

the suite is rather large too so it would take you a good while to download it ad dial up speed and then the current AV definition table.

cueperkins · « **Reply #36 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:26:02 PM »

OK, OK, I know when I'm outgunned.....My AV is always up to date and I use a few other programs for all the net garbage....just haven't got any type of registry cleaner...I'll ask a mate who may have something I can use to check.

Poddy · « **Reply #37 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:28:11 PM »

Cupie, Foprmatting is a last resort so shy away from that

cueperkins · « **Reply #38 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:32:00 PM »

I shyed away from that the minute you said it...lol

*Ubbie Max* · « **Reply #39 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:56:00 PM »

Amazing. I haven't got a clue what you all mean.
I had 4 Trojans on my mongrel of a system the other day & Windows Defender picked them up. AVG (free) didn't.

cueperkins · « **Reply #40 on:** August 20, 2009, 08:18:07 PM »

What is windows defender and how did you know they were there?

*Yibida* · « **Reply #41 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:00:06 PM »

Jeeeese your lazy Cupie...LOL.... you get it free on the microsoft site...I've been using it for two years and it works a treat...Google is your friend....

Windows Defender features system scan capabilities similar to other free products on the market, and includes a number of real-time security agents that monitor several common areas of Windows for changes which may be caused by spyware. It also includes the ability to easily remove ActiveX applications that are installed. Also integrated is support for Microsoft's SpyNet network that allows users to report to Microsoft what they consider to be spyware, and what applications and device drivers they allow to be installed on their system.

Also I've used "CC cleaner" to clean my registry for a couple of years now.... works great...

cueperkins · « **Reply #42 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:09:24 PM »

I'm using Crap Cleaner and super antispyware...used to use Spybot and Adaware but they don't like each other...lol. If I downloaded Windows defender, would it potentially clash with super antispyware?...Liisasx recommended that one so I gave it a go.....It gets a good rating for depth of scan and finding the most objects...I've been reading comparisons.....so there.....it's just that you lot are never specific and half the time you assume that everyone knows as much as you do...WRONG young fella !!! we don't....lol.

so will they clash?

*Yibida* · « **Reply #43 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:14:28 PM »

Quote from: *Cupie* on August 20, 2009, 09:09:24 PM

I'm using Crap Cleaner and super antispyware...used to use Spybot and Adaware but they don't like each other...lol. If I downloaded Windows defender, would it potentially clash with super antispyware?...Liisasx recommended that one so I gave it a go.....It gets a good rating for depth of scan and finding the most objects...I've been reading comparisons.....so there.....it's just that you lot are never specific and half the time you assume that everyone knows as much as you do...WRONG young fella !!! we don't....lol.

so will they clash?

How long is a piece of string?.... how would we mere mortal Nerds know?... unless someone has actually loaded the specific ones you mention and tested the compatibility of the programs there's no way of telling..... sorry I cannot answer that one....

[ Hard to believe isn't it? ]

Roo · « **Reply #44 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:16:22 PM »

I use the Superantispyware one too Cupie...and it works better than paid ones I used years ago..lol

I also have TrendMicro which I have used for ages...and I don't go to any norty sites to worry about the real bad bugs anyway....

cueperkins · « **Reply #45 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:31:24 PM »

How long is a piece of string?.... how would we mere mortal Nerds know?... unless someone has actually loaded the specific ones you mention and tested the compatibility of the programs there's no way of telling..... sorry I cannot answer that one....Smiley [ Hard to believe isn't it?

Ah, so you admit your Fallibility ???

OK Poddy, you're the resident guinea pig..download superantispyware and then Windows defender and tell me whether they declare war on each other.....better you than me...after all....if something goes wrong...you have the knowin and the doin.....oh road warrior !!!

Poddy · « **Reply #46 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:39:07 PM »

One thing I have learned in this industry, 'If it aint broke dont fix it' also 'never tempt fate'

So I decline the role of guinea pig

cueperkins · « **Reply #47 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:42:20 PM »

Chicken !!

*Yibida* · « **Reply #48 on:** August 20, 2009, 10:00:04 PM »

LOLOLOLOL@Cupie.......

Bazinga · « **Reply #49 on:** August 20, 2009, 10:15:45 PM »

Hey pody I am looking for a slipped verision of XP either home or Pro, I want it to replace the linux on my eeepc,

I have tried the usual places and the have not been able to get a successful ISO to burn

News:

Author Topic: Five users sue Facebook (Read 26515 times)

bobbybigbear

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