In case you missed the news...

Re-cap of this week's Newsletters

Hey Techies! In case you may have missed this week’s Newsletters, here is a recap:

Have you heard about the data breach that impacted users of android VPN services ChatVPN, SuperVPN, and GeckVPN? The breach was discovered on May 1, 2022, and upon investigation, it was found that a third party gained unauthorized access to a database that contained user information. The information included usernames, email addresses, and hashed passwords. While no financial information or credit card details were exposed, the parent company stated that they immediately took swift action to this.

If you are wondering if using a VPN is worthwhile to safeguard your data, check out this Forbes article and see what the experts have to say about it (We previously discussed the Optus data breach and this article relates to it as well):

On May 15, 2022, Neopets discovered that a third party hacker gained unauthorized access to their database, which contained private information of their users. The information that was accessed included usernames, email addresses, hashed passwords, birth dates, and IP addresses.

An investigation revealed that attackers had access to the Neopets IT systems from January 3, 2021 until July 19, 2022, a total of 18 months. 18months! That is insane. For a dta breach to go undetected for more than 1 year, you can only imagine the field day that the hackers must have had with this access .

At the end of October 2022, Microsoft informed its clientele of a data breach on their systems. To cause this incident, a third party gained unauthorized access to a small number of Microsoft user accounts. The information that was accessed included usernames, email addresses, and customer names. A security lapse in Microsoft Azure allowed unauthorized access to the system and revealed sensitive data. As any professional company would respond, Microsoft stated that there would be further prevention of any future incidents, including improving their security measures and updating their protocols. Thousands of users were affected by this breach and had to be notified to reassess their data accordingly. 

TikTok is a highly popular social media application with an audience that spans a plethora of demographics. The news has recently been engulfed with TikTok legal battles due to the heightened issue with data security protocols for its users. Along with major data concerns, however, there has been a growing concern over the demographic of people who are allowed to join the app’s community. While it is expected for only people over the age of thirteen to join the app on their own, some minors who don’t reach this threshold are also joining the platform and engaging in its content. This infringement is notably a violation of the rules & regulations for TikTok. 

Even with this rule, recent investigations have uncovered a shocking breach, revealing that TikTok has granted access to a staggering number of users under the age of 13—exceeding a whopping one million! 

This revelation raises significant concerns about the safety and privacy of our children in the digital world.

At a time when cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common, it's essential to remain vigilant and take necessary steps to protect your personal information. We recommend implementing safe cybersecurity practices such as using strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, and keeping software up-to-date, among others.

We also suggest staying up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity news and trends to be aware of potential threats and vulnerabilities. Finally, we encourage you to subscribe to and Share our newsletter to receive regular updates and insights on the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. Let’s continue to grow our community of cybersecurity techies!

Link to cybersecurity newsletter: https://cybereducation101.beehiiv.com/subscribe

#stayvigilant

cybereducation101