At a glance.
- How to remove pictures from the Internet.
- Online fraud surges.
- Update on the International Red Cross data breach.
- More on the Pegasus investigation in Israel.
Erasing undesirable pics from the web.
The Wall Street Journal offers advice for removing unwanted photos of yourself from the internet. Unfortunately, most of the time it’s legal for a person to post your image, as whoever took the photo is the lawful owner of the image. Copyright and internet law attorney Mallory King explains, “If they’re not trying to defame you or commercialize the photo, posting it on their social media page is probably OK.” In order to protect oneself, it’s a good idea to brush up on the different platforms’ rules regarding photos, as each site is a little different. Twitter is the most strict, as it prohibits people from sharing “private media” without the subject’s consent (though this doesn’t cover images taken at public events). The subject has the option to report the post, and the offender could face permanent account deletion. While it might not be possible to completely remove the pic, most platforms make it easy to untag yourself with just a few clicks.
Data shows surge in online fraud.
Dark Reading takes a look at three recent reports that reveal online fraud is on the rise. In a study conducted by KPMG, 67% of senior risk executives reported their companies had experienced external fraud (which includes credit card fraud and identity theft) in the past year, and 38% predict an increase over the next year. Risk intelligence firm Outseer’s fourth quarter Fraud and Payments Report says that malware like Trojans have become less popular and that attackers are showing preference for social-engineering tactics such as phishing messages, fake social media profiles, and fake mobile applications, which require fewer resources for a quick payday. And Experian’s annual "Future of Fraud Forecast" shows that the rise in consumers’ dependence on the internet from investing to dating has made online fraud even easier, especially with the surge in the BNPL (buy now, pay later) services giving criminals yet another way to access shoppers’ financial accounts. Outseer summarized, “As the industry enters 2022, anti-fraud solutions that employ machine learning, data science, and shared global intelligence could be crucial for identifying and stemming BNPL fraud.”
Update on the International Red Cross data breach.
As we noted last week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) suffered a third-party data breach that resulted in the theft of the data of over 515,000 “highly vulnerable” individuals. An update from the ICRC explains that the organization has not been in contact with the perpetrators (who have not been identified) and no ransom has been requested, but ICRC says they are “willing to communicate directly and confidentially with whoever may be responsible for this operation to impress upon them the need to respect our humanitarian action.” It is presumed that the compromised data was copied and exfiltrated, but there is no indication yet that it was published.
More on the Pegasus scandal.
Last week allegations surfaced that the Israeli police had used NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus surveillance software to track Israeli citizens. CTECH added yesterday that further evidence was found indicating that police hacked the phones of at least three mayors and local officials suspected of engaging in corrupt activities, though no indictments resulted. The Times of Israel reports that Public Security Minister Bar-Lev, whose ministry oversees the police, admits that the Israeli police force “has advanced technological tools to help deal with serious crime organizations that are using advanced technology,” but states that any claims of illicit spying are untrue. Nonetheless, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has ordered an investigation, Reuters reports. “It is difficult to overstate the seriousness of the alleged violation of fundamental rights,” Mandelblit stated, adding that a team of investigators will be looking into the issue “in a systematic and thorough manner.” An opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post posits that the allegations offer Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry an opportunity to more properly consider the ethical aspects of the country’s defense exports. The writer, Avidan Freedman, is founder and chair of an NGO dedicated to preventing Israeli weapons exports to human rights violators, says “serious Foreign Affairs Ministry intervention and clear legislation putting a stop to Israeli weapons transfers into the wrong hands could turn a series of crises into a host of opportunities, bolster the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Israel’s standing on the world stage…and above all, prove that this commitment to values underpins our foreign policy and our identity as a state.”