What is your experience in resurrecting a compromised account?

Facebook have acknowledge the spam attack that apparently exploits a browser vulnerability (we are not sure at this stage which browser it is) allowing cross site scripting.  If you want a bit more background on what that means, read this Sophos article about the attack. But in short, users are tricked into pasting some  code (JavaScript) into the address bar which then allows the malicious code to run.

Next thing you know – you’re looking at pornography, and so are your Facebook friends.

Justin Bieber

As an adult, you may find this little more than a nuisance. However, despite the 13 year old age limit – there are many children that use Facebook. If you have children that use Facebook, you might want to warn them against cutting and pasting content into the address bar – and this is a timely reminder to keep a close eye on them when they are online. I’m not a child psychologist – but I’m fairly certain pornography is not the best way to introduce children to sexuality!

These sorts of attacks within Facebook should come as no real surprise. There are 900 million Facebook accounts – half of which are active every day. That’s a very juicy target. But perhaps more importantly, Facebook is a social network – so people are there for the express purpose of sharing content. There are competitions, pages to like, pictures to view. Click this, click that.  Its a social engineering opportunity like no other. As Facebook increases it capability to host different types of content – more opportunities will present themselves for criminals to try and exploit.

Most scams are designed to raise money for the scammers, and you can safely assume that the lessons being learned from these attacks will be put into practice for those sorts of attacks later.

In the meantime, NetSafe has a page of tips for staying secure on Facebook. Check them out here.

NetSafe has had numerous calls from schools recently regarding Facebook pages with abusive content which are linked to schools and contain anonymous posts as well as identifiable student posts.

These pages violate a number of FB terms

3. Safety

6. You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user.
7. You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.

4. Registration and Account Security

1. You will not provide any false personal information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission.
2. You will not create more than one personal profile.

Report violations
If you come across a profile that violates Facebook’s Terms:
1. Go to the profile
2. Click the  and then select Report/Block
3. Choose a reason for your report (ex: This profile is pretending to be someone or is fake)
4. Choose a report type, if prompted
5. Click Continue to submit your report

FB don’t allow profiles that:
• Pretend to be you or someone else
• Use your photos
• List a fake name
• Don’t represent a real person (fake profiles)

Many of the pages reported to NetSafe don’t represent a real person so need to be reported under that category.
If the page is a “group” then you can go to
Report Group (bottom left of the page) and get these choices
All reports are strictly confidential. What best describes this?
o Spam or scam
o Hate speech or personal attack
o Violence or harmful behaviour
o Sexually explicit content
Is this your intellectual property?

The Facebook Help Centre https://www.facebook.com/help/?ref=pf has all this information as well and much more regarding reporting.

You can also call NetSafe for information on freephone 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)

In the 21st century, where hordes of paparazzi and every citizen with a mobile phone can scoop an embarrassing night club exit you’d think the rich and famous would be a little more cautious about how they controlled their digital footprint.

And yet news reaches us this week that starlet Scarlett Johanssen has called in the FBI over leaked nude photos taken from her mobile phone.

The star of one of my favourite films, Lost in Translation, is apparently just the latest in a long line of celebs being literally exposed online through theft or data loss and will likely not be the last to have cellphone photos passed around.

How does this impact on New Zealand teens?

If taking or sharing nude photos is good enough for Hollywood stars, then the technology within reach of most teens can often be put to use in a modern romantic relationship and sexting – the texting of naked images – is thought to be widespread in New Zealand.

It’s a cybersafety issue many groups globally have tried to persuade teens is a bad idea. Once that photo is taken and shared with your current partner there’s nothing stopping them sending it on to friends or enemies if you break up (or even if you don’t).

It has in fact also been the downfall of many adults too, including the recent high profile fall of US politician Anthony Weiner.

Sexting safety advice:

• Think carefully before you use that cameraphone to snap a private pic – even if you don’t send the photo on to anyone else, if your mobile is lost or stolen there’s every chance a thief will be able to access the digital images stored – install mobile security software that lets you find, lock or wipe your phone
• Sharing a digital file with a loved one means the loss of control over that picture – think about where it may end up if you argue or split up
• If you’re sent images of a school or classmate don’t forward them on to others – bystanders can help in situations like this by deleting images, not becoming part of the problem by spreading personal images further
• If you’ve taken a photo and shared it on Facebook (even if you think you’ve locked down your privacy settings) you’ve also lost control of the data – deleting pictures from websites is almost impossible

We’re fortunate in New Zealand that the Police treat sexting among minors with sensitivity and common sense – in many American states these images are associated with child pornography and can result in those involved being registered as sex offenders.

If you’re concerned about sexting get in touch with NetSafe. And have a look at this video ‘Megan’s Story’ from ThinkUKnow Australia which explains the issue in a simple and emotional way:

Now Facebook has certainly been in the news lately and does indeed generate a lot of ‘business’ for NetSafe – if you can consider gossip sites, slander, abuse and bullying a positive business effect for NetSafe!

Over the last year we have probably expended up to 20% of our effort on dealing with Facebook ‘issues’ be they worried school principals, stressed out parents or anxious teenagers. There’s a whole range of problems we deal with connected with Facebook: stranger danger, anonymous threats to harm, group bullying, peer pressure, cyber bullying, imposter profiles and more.

That’s not to say it’s Facebook’s fault or responsibility this stuff happens – the company has simply created a networking tool that has become part of many people’s lives and in doing so has become a reflection of human behaviour in general (and that includes all the bad bits).

Becoming a social media ‘guru’ and riding the revolution

At NetSafe we use Facebook to push out status updates to our ‘fans’, little cybersafety related news stories and links. For many companies Facebook has become a great new way to engage with and have two ways conversations with your customers (with all the community generated content risks that brings).

Any New Zealand company can register for Facebook and have a page live in 5 minutes. For small business owners there has undoubtedly been a lot of hype about Facebook and ‘viral’ social media in general.

It’s now evident that there’s been a whole range of companies looking to profit off this interest and that’s what brings me back to Christchurch and the ‘Social Outbreak: Total Media System’.

As a cynical ex-journo I looked at the site and saw a product being promoted as the ultimate Facebook marketing tool when it’s quite easy to get something up and running yourself for free. There are lots of Facebook app builders and page creation tools you can test out on your page without being a programmer.

Dig deeper and it appears the offer is in fact a multi level marketing style company where signing up brings both the product and the opportunity to bring your friends and neighbours on board.

Is it a scam?

I can’t answer that question with any authority at present not having attended the presentations myself but there’s certainly a lot of internet chatter about the system being a Ponzi scheme.

There’s even an Australian Facebook page with people over the ditch discussing the downsides: https://www.facebook.com/SocialOutbreakScam. Remember: internet forums and Facebook pages are not providing the gospel truth on companies but are one way of evaluating ‘the opinion of the crowd’.

If you’re thinking of joining and have looked at the detailed compensation plan make sure your think through your reasons for handing your money over – the internet has been marketed as a great ‘get rich quick’ opportunity for the 15 years or so I’ve been working online.

It’s certainly true that many people have generated wealth with websites but when it comes to Facebook I’d suggest trying out the free tools, speaking with the developer community and evaluating the Social Outbreak offer fully before you sign on the dotted line. A quick bit of Googling can provide an insight into what others are saying.

If you’ve been to the briefing events or paid for the system do get in touch or leave a comment. The Commerce Commission website also has a handy guide to pyramid schemes in New Zealand and precautions you should take when checking out any multi-level marketing offer.

There that didn’t feel too bad.

Journalist may be one  of the most reviled professions out there – alongside real estate agent and lawyer – but there’s something cathartic in sharing my confession with you in the same way recovering alcoholics always seem so relieved in those AA meetings in American movies.

I’m sharing this with you because today international media baron Rupert Murdoch announced the closure of the quintesssential British tabloid newspaper the News of the World.

After 168 years, the media storm and public revulsion over growing phone hacking allegations has seen advertisers pull their business and readers pledge to boycott the paper on Facebook groups of some substantial size:

when footballers, politicians and film stars had their phones hacked the public really didn’t give 2 hoots but when they start on victims of crime and relatives of the war dead, the public would happily lynch them
Messageboard discussion on the allegations

In my short lived career as a journalist I worked for News International for 3 months running a youthful news desk on their start-up UK ISP business.

I made the jump from another major UK media group after 9 months working nights where my naive innocence had been shattered in about week two. I can still remember the shock at looking at the print-ready Quark file for that weekend’s front page celebrity trashing story that had overlaid said celebrity’s head over the top of another man’s body in a ‘revealing photo exclusive’.

A popular career choice

I originally applied for a one year journalism course based on a great desire to be the next Jeremy Clarkson (confession number 2). Whilst my earnest classmates yearned to break politic scandals on The Times of London, I was secretly set on writing humourous stories for Top Gear magazine.

After 12 months of writing practice, legal training, and learning to write shorthand at 120wpm (confession number 3: I can still write it but just not transcribe it so well…) I qualified and spent three months working freelance for a news agency sourcing salacious court stories that would sell to the nationals. And that I must admit is an artform!

I quickly sensed I wasn’t cut out for the cutthroat world of reporting and side stepped into subbing and 1996 era website design and production – what foresight I now tell myself.

There is without doubt a real sense of power that comes from carrying a press card, hanging out in VIP areas or sitting in the press box of a ancient English courtroom. There is also a ‘fight to the death’ requirement that comes from chasing exclusives for money and reputation and that’s what I think makes it both such a popular career choice and difficult – for some – to stay true to that ‘expose the truth’ moralistic ethos you might start with.

Reporting in the internet age

At the NetHui event in Auckland last week some of the discussions touched on the real issues that I think brought the NOTW down – how to compete with other global media in the internet age, how to get that content exclusive that will bring print readers and digital eyeballs to devour your advertising. At NetHui it was ways to expand access to Sky TV content online and the perceived power of the Facebook petition that generated debate.

Murdoch has faced this content distribution issue head on in the UK by wrapping a paywall around The Times website, abandonning search engine and casual surfer traffic for paying subscribers. It was a bold move which has drawn a lot of criticism and I don’t know if it’s really worked the way he must have hoped – to replace revenue lost by the gradual cannabalisation of your display and classified advertising market by internet giants and new start-ups alike.

How do mainstream media groups used to controlling the flow of information adapt to the challenges of new business models that shift so rapidly?

I can still remember watching Citizen Kane for the first time (confession number 4: what a dull movie I thought at the age of 19) and the portrayl of a ruthless American media baron – those days of top down control are going if not well gone and so these organisations are facing the challenge of how to stay relevant. Let’s buy MySpace!

Even Oprah in the US has sought more control of her brand and ways to monetize herself by dumping the major networks and setting up a cable channel and other distribution platforms.

A decline in standards?

Many people like to champion the internet for democritising our lives – now everyone can be a citizen journalist, blogger and crowdsourced content creator. I’d argue that could be one of the reasons why the News of the World decided to drop some of that editorial integrity and hack into the mobile voicemail messages of private citizens – to compete nowadays you need those hard to get exclusives.

What this has also done though is to speed up the reporting process with modern newsroom reporters expected to file multiple stories and constantly stay abreast of developments on Twitter and other networks. The genteel, in-depth reporting days of Woodward and Bernstein are over.

As a result some would suggest that copy and pasting press releases has grown into an editorial artform and the days of checking facts and sources is behind us.

For educators – and so for NetSafe – what this means is the pressing need to create new generations of digital citizens who understand the commercial presures affecting main stream media and online resources alike (Wikipedia for my homework, yay!).

Digital literacy – the ability to digest and see the wider picture around information – is going to be a key skill for 21st century children.

And with that rant over my confession ends. Time for a nice cup of tea and quick read of the newspaper.

Five minutes in, and it’s clear that the first 3 random stories I’ve perused are evidence of the technological changes the internet is ‘wreaking’ – I use that word in a lighthearted sense – on the world around us.

First off, Fairfax Media is closing a niche magazine and moving the content online; next up New Zealand Post chairman Jim Bolger is floating the idea that in the near future there won’t be enough physical mail to warrant daily and Saturday deliveries; and finally the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) is suggesting employers get tough on staff bad mouthing managers, customers or colleagues on Facebook (with an implied audience bigger than your local pub).

Technology is evolving at a fast pace these days and it’s evident that unless you embrace new opportunities you’re likely to get pushed aside and/or left behind.

As Jim Bolger stated to the Herald, losing business to technology is a reality that postal providers around the globe have faced and adaptation and new ideas are essential: “Let’s not pretend that this is going to be an easy issue to resolve.”

I’ve been working on our soon-to-be launched new scam reporting service the last few months and from meeting with staff in various governments agencies, it’s become clear that they are also facing issues as rapid change affects every sector of NZ life.

Just who do you trust with your hard earned cash when there are individuals all over the world targeting honest Kiwis who may have more to learn when it comes to widespread fraud and rapidly evolving online scams?

At NetSafe we’ll be researching the big picture around online incidents over the rest of 2010 and trying to come up with (or point in the direction of) the educational resources that equip people to deal with internet ‘crimes’. Stay tuned for updates – you can whistle Bob Dylan’s protest song while you wait.

Maybe its my fault.  I’m hardly ever there. If my Facebook friends think they’re communicating with me – they’re wrong. Most of the time, I’m not listening. I log in about once or twice a week. The rest of the time, a virtual version of me waits as a placeholder, collecting “news” from my facebook friends. Somehow, it all seems a bit phony. We think we’re networked, but really we’ve just networked our virtual presences – and we drop in every now and then to see how they’re getting on.

The problem is, when I do drop in – virtual me has been overwhelmed by a deluge of pointlessness. In fact, I feel like I need to apologise to virtual me for what I put him through every day. Don’t get me wrong. There’s some interesting stuff, but its in the minority. My facebook “news” seems to fit into four categories.

1) Interesting and genuiene comments, thoughts and content.

2) Inane comments, thoughts and content.  

3) Game updates. So and so hatched an egg. This person found a jewel. Great, whatever. I hope they’re enjoying their games - but I don’t care how that’s going. I understand why I get the updates -but I’ll never be drawn into playing farmville. Couldn’t I get a “turn of the inane updates from Farmville” option…please?

4) Content from people and organisations that have read the books and heard the speeches about using web 2 tools for marketing. Here is the news. It’s not a clever subtle way to market to us without us noticing. We’ve all read the books. We’ve all heard the speeches. We can see what you’re doing. Go away. Go back to honest advertising. Buy a billboard.

So there I was on the brink of deleting (as much as you can) my Facebook account – but I didn’t.  My virtual presence got a stay of execution. It’s easier to research my comments about the latest Facebook privacy related story if I’m a user.  

If I’ve got to stay, I might as well make the most of it – so drop me a note. Let me know when your virtual pet is happy, or when you’ve released a new product. You’ll find me at Facebook.