Someone Is Watching You Pick Your Nose Via Webcam & Sharing Photos With Fellow Creepers

(Tee_Bird)

In today’s world of constant Internet connections and online communities dedicated to anything and everything and how to do it, it isn’t just obsessed exes and the neighborhood peeping Tom we have to worry about. Now there are ratters, so-named after the Remote Administration Tool some hackers use to spy on strangers.

Most of the time, they’re men watching women by using their victims’ own webcams. It’s enough to make us wish someone would make lens caps for webcams, because electrical tape is just not as nice to look at.

An in-depth report on Ars Technica details the ins and outs of this hackers’ world, where spies can not only sit back and watch people from thousands of miles away, but can infect computers with pornographic pop-ups and whatever else they want.

And that’s not all — there are forums dedicated to cataloging lists of what many of the ratters call “slaves” and the photos, information and other tidbits they’ve culled from their victims.

“Poor people think they are alone in their private homes, but have no idea they are the laughing stock on” one of the forums, writes one user.  ”It would be funny if one of these slaves venture into learning how to hack and comes across this thread.”

Many of the ratters just like to watch a little bit and poke around in people’s personal files, but many post lists of known “slaves” that might be more fun to look at, even if they’re just picking their noses. It’s a club filled mostly with men, and they all high-five each other when they find good slaves to monitor.

Using anti-malware software and running programs to detect and clean computers that do become infected can help in many circumstances, unless the ratters have sought out software that is called “FUD” — fully undetectable. In order to hook a slave, ratters need only get them to run a file, perhaps by using a file-sharing network and naming the ratter file after a popular song or movie.

So what do you do if you find yourself an unwitting star on YouTube as a result of a RAT? Treat your computer the way you would to protect it against any malware — use an up-to-date anti-malware program, update your operating system and make sure all plugins are up to date.

And avoid anything sketchy, dodgy or otherwise not on the up-and-up — don’t click on weird links or download attachments from unknown sources and you should likely refrain from visiting forums where such shady activities as ratting.

To dive wholly into the creepy world, check out the source link below. And be prepared to feel like showering immediately after placing tape across the webcam lens.

Source: Consumerist

Facebook Reveals Secrets You Haven't Shared

The increasing amount of personal information that can been gleaned by computer programs that track how people use Facebook has been revealed by an extensive academic study. Such programs can discern undisclosed private information such as Facebook users' sexuality, drug-use habits and even whether their parents separated when they were young, according to the study by Cambridge University academics.

In one of the biggest studies of its kind, scientists from the university's psychometrics team and a Microsoft-funded research center analysed data from 58,000 Facebook users to predict traits and other information that were not provided in their profiles.

(Read More: In News Feed Revamp, Facebook Creates 'Personalized Newspaper')

The algorithms were 88 percent accurate in predicting male sexual orientation, 95 percent for race and 80 percent for religion and political leanings. Personality types and emotional stability were also predicted with accuracy ranging from 62-75 percent.

Facebook declined to comment.

The study highlights growing concerns about social networks and how data trails can be mined for sensitive information, even when people attempt to keep information about themselves private. Less than 5 percent of users predicted to be gay, for example, were connected with explicitly gay groups.

Michal Kosinksi, one of the report's authors, told the Financial Times that the university's techniques could easily be replicated by companies to infer personal attributes a person did not wish to share, such as sexual orientation or political views: "We used very simple and generic methods. Marketing companies and internet companies could spend much more time and resources, and hence get much higher accuracy than we did."

(Read More: Facebook Is Better Than Google in Near Term: Analyst)

Last week, the EU agreed to water down proposals for a radical overhaul of data privacy regulation. The move reflects governments' reluctance to impede internet businesses that might spur economic growth, and follows fierce lobbying from technology companies including Facebook and Google.

Personal data has become big business. Wonga, the UK online lender, makes credit judgments within seconds based on thousands of pieces of information, including an applicant's Facebook profile. Tesco, the supermarket chain, this month started to use its customers' shopping histories to sell targeted online advertising.

The report also revealed some unexpected correlations - such as people who liked 'curly fries' having higher IQs, while those who like Facebook's "Sliding on Floors With Your Socks On" page were unlikely to use drugs.

(Read More: Feeling Aggressive? Maybe It's Time to Look at Facebook)

Mr. Kosinski said, however, that the study was not designed to discourage online sharing: "I would discourage people from abstaining from the technology - the milk is to some extent already spilt and there's a lot of information about you online anyway. I would suggest raising privacy settings and exerting consumer pressure by trying to use the services that are protecting your privacy best."

Source: CNBC