{"id":40507,"date":"2021-04-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=40507"},"modified":"2025-08-30T14:24:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T11:24:54","slug":"mass-data-leaks-twitter-throttling-as-the-start-of-censorship-in-russia-and-other-cybersecurity-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/mass-data-leaks-twitter-throttling-as-the-start-of-censorship-in-russia-and-other-cybersecurity-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass Data Leaks, Twitter Throttling as the Start of Censorship in Russia, and Other Cybersecurity News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We have assembled the week\u2019s most important cybersecurity news.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-keypoints article_keypoints\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-5a71c8a8-8964-4af4-a7ce-adfcb26e9895\">\n<li>Data for more than 533 million Facebook users and 500 million LinkedIn users were leaked.<\/li>\n<li>Experts explained how Roskomnadzor throttles Twitter.<\/li>\n<li>The European Commission and a number of EU organisations were hacked.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Data for more than half a billion Facebook users leaked<\/h2>\n<p>At the end of last week, on a hacker forum, personal data for more than 533 million Facebook users was published.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">All 533,000,000 Facebook records were just leaked for free.<\/p>\n<p>This means that if you have a Facebook account, it is extremely likely the phone number used for the account was leaked.<\/p>\n<p>I have yet to see Facebook acknowledging this absolute negligence of your data. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ysGCPZm5U3\">https:\/\/t.co\/ysGCPZm5U3<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nM0Fu4GDY8\">pic.twitter.com\/nM0Fu4GDY8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alon Gal (Under the Breach) (@UnderTheBreach) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UnderTheBreach\/status\/1378314424239460352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Among the leaked data are phone numbers, full names, dates of birth, biographical details, location information, and more. The authenticity of the database was confirmed by journalists from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Business Insider<\/a>, who checked part of the data.<\/p>\n<p>According to experts, the leak affected millions of people across 106 countries. Among them were data for nearly 10 million Facebook users in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The leak was previously detected in January, when advertisers of a Telegram bot offering to purchase Facebook user numbers were discovered.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts suggested the hackers exploited a Facebook vulnerability tied to the \u201cAdd Friend\u201d feature in 2019. It allowed access to phone numbers linked to each Facebook account, though the bug has long since been fixed.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook confirmed that the data concerned are those scraped up to September 2019.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abThis is a common tactic that frequently uses automated software to extract publicly available information from the Internet\u00bb, \u2014 noted the company.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Facebook believes the data were scraped from user accounts thanks to the Contacts import feature.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/news\/security\/533-million-facebook-users-phone-numbers-leaked-on-hacker-forum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bleeping Computer<\/a> emphasised that even if the current dataset is from 2019, phone numbers and email addresses typically do not change for many years, making them valuable for attackers.<\/p>\n<p>Have I Been Pwned <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GdxR2YtrUe?amp=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">added<\/a> the data from the leak to its database. Users can check whether their email addresses and phone numbers appear in the leaked dataset.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Experts have determined exactly how Twitter is throttled in Russia<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Censored Planet project <a href=\"https:\/\/censoredplanet.org\/throttling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">studied<\/a> how Russian authorities manage to slow Twitter traffic.<\/p>\n<p>Experts noted that this incident marks the first known attempt by the Russian government to throttle rather than block social networks to pressure them:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abMoreover, this marks a shift from the previously decentralised model of censorship controlled by internet providers to a more centralised model that gives authorities vast powers to impose the desired restrictions\u00bb.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>They confirmed that devices used for threat countermeasures (\u0422\u0421\u041f\u0423) operate through DPI technology. They allow the traffic of a specific service to be singled out from general traffic and slowed down.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00ab\u0422\u0421\u041f\u0423 is controlled directly and remotely by Roskomnadzor, not by individual internet providers, which brings the censorship architecture in the country closer to centralised models in China and Iran,\u00bb \u2014 the researchers noted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Roskomnadzor throttles Twitter to 100-150 kbps. The throttling affects not only audio, photo or video content but also the domains hosting files essential for the service\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n<p>One of the report\u2019s authors, Leonid Evdokimov, told Meduza that deploying DPI equipment \u201cclearly brings Roskomnadzor closer to a sufficiently effective solution to block Telegram, VPNs, Tor and other censorship-threatening apps.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abShutting down Twitter was never the main objective. Twitter was the \u201clab rat\u201d for Roskomnadzor to test how well their new equipment and strategy work\u00bb, \u2014 cited Evdokimov by Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On this week Roskomnadzor <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/roskomnadzor-extends-twitter-throttling\">extended the throttling<\/a> of Twitter traffic until May 15.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Data leaked from the Dom.RF bank customers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Criminals put up for sale the data of Russians applying for loans with the Dom.RF bank. A bank spokesperson confirmed the breach.<\/p>\n<p>The database contains almost 105,000 records. Among other things, it includes phone numbers and email addresses, full names, dates of birth, passport data, INN, addresses and other information.<\/p>\n<p>Full access to the database costs 100,000 rubles. Individual rows of data from 2021 are sold for 15 rubles, for the second half of 2020 \u2014 10 rubles, and for the first half of 2020 \u2014 7 rubles.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The European Commission and several EU bodies hacked<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The European Commission described a March cyberattack on its own infrastructure and that of several other European organisations.<\/p>\n<p>There have been no \u201cserious data breaches\u201d detected yet, though the investigation is still at an early stage and no final information is available, notes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/news\/security\/european-commission-other-eu-orgs-recently-hit-by-cyber-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bleeping Computer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Experts found that Mark Zuckerberg uses Signal<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>During an analysis of the leaked Facebook user database, security researcher Dave Walker uncovered data about the founder of the social network, Mark Zuckerberg.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Regarding the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FacebookLeak?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FacebookLeak<\/a>, of the 533M people in the leak \u2014 the irony is that Mark Zuckerberg is regrettably included in the leak as well.<\/p>\n<p>If journalists are struggling to get a statement from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Facebook?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@facebook<\/a>, maybe just give him a call, from the tel in the leak? \ud83d\udcde\ud83d\ude02<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GazTheJourno?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GazTheJourno<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lrqlwzFMjU\">pic.twitter.com\/lrqlwzFMjU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dave Walker (@Daviey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Daviey\/status\/1378424183856697348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>From the phone number, he also deduced that Zuckerberg uses the privacy-focused Signal messenger.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abAnother twist \u2014 Mark Zuckerberg also respects his privacy by using an app that has end-to-end encryption and is not owned by Facebook\u00bb, \u2014 wrote Walker.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Signal representatives responded, stating that Zuckerberg is setting an example for all as the <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/whatsapp-troubles-150-million-for-ryuk-operators-and-other-cybersecurity-news\">new WhatsApp privacy policy<\/a> comes into effect.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">With the May 15th WhatsApp Terms of Service acceptance deadline fast approaching, Mark leads by example:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Mt5YksaAxL\">https:\/\/t.co\/Mt5YksaAxL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Signal (@signalapp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/signalapp\/status\/1379284279163686913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hackers put up for sale a database containing data of 500 million LinkedIn users<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Following the Facebook incident, hackers put up for sale a database containing data of 500 million LinkedIn users.<\/p>\n<p>The company said the data were not a breach \u2014 the information is publicly available, and the database includes data from several sites.<\/p>\n<p>According to researchers, the seller valued it at a four-figure sum, with payment presumably in Bitcoin.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Russia\u2019s security council rejects claims of SolarWinds attack<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told Kommersant that the United States\u2019 accusations that Russia was behind SolarWinds are unfounded.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00abThis is another blanket accusation. Our state has nothing to do with this breach. We do not rule out that hackers\u2014whether living in Russia or holding Russian citizenship\u2014may participate in various cyber operations, but the state is not involved\u00bb, said he.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As a reminder, the SolarWinds attack gave hackers access to U.S. government systems and numerous companies.<\/p>\n<p>Also on ForkLog:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Data <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/data-of-4-8-million-paxful-p2p-platform-users-exposed-on-dark-net-forum\">4.8 million Paxful users<\/a> were exposed publicly.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/russian-court-fines-tiktok-2-6-million-rubles-in-the-wake-of-twitter\">A Russian court fined TikTok 2.6 million<\/a> rubles following Twitter.<\/li>\n<li>GitHub servers were used <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/github-servers-used-for-cryptocurrency-mining\">to mine cryptocurrency<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>DeFi project <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/defi-project-force-dao-attacked-after-launch\">Force DAO was attacked<\/a> after launch.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/signal-adds-mobilecoin-support-in-beta-release\">Signal added support for Crypto MobileCoin<\/a> in beta.<\/li>\n<li>Hackers demanded from an American school district <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/hackers-demand-40-million-in-cryptocurrency-from-a-u-s-school-district\">$40 million in cryptocurrency<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Bitcoin extortionists attacked industrial facilities <a href=\"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/news\/bitcoin-extortionists-attacked-industrial-facilities-via-a-vpn-server-vulnerability\">through a VPN server vulnerability<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to read this weekend?<\/h2>\n<p>How the market for selling personal data on the dark web works \u2014 how data gets there and who buys it, read in ForkLog\u2019s exclusive.<\/p>\n<p>Read ForkLog\u2019s Bitcoin news in our Telegram \u2014 cryptocurrency news, prices and analysis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We have gathered the week\u2019s most important cybersecurity news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1238,1233],"class_list":["post-40507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-cybersecurity-digest","tag-industry-digests"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"36","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40509,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40507\/revisions\/40509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}