Has Justin Bieber died in a car crash? No. But that doesn't stop Facebook users spreading the "news"

Over 170,000 people are part of the Sophos community on Facebook. Why not join us on Facebook to find out about the latest security threats.

Hi fellow Twitter user! Follow our team of security experts on Twitter for the latest news about internet security threats.

Already using Google+? Find us on Google+ for the latest security news.

Before you start sobbing, let me tell you the good news.

Justin Bieber hasn't died in a car crash.

Phew! I'm sure we're all relieved about that. Not least Mister Bieber himself.

But what if you had heard on the grapevine that the pint-sized heart-throb had come to a grisly end? How would you have confirmed the news?

Chances are, these days, that you might have Googled for an appropriate phrase like "bieber dies in car crash". And look what the very first search result is:

If you were to click on that link you would be taken to what appears, at first glance, to be a legitimate news website:

However, if you are a long term reader of Naked Security there should be enough here to ring some alarm bells. Doesn't it remind you of the Global Associated "news" story from earlier this year about the death in a car crash of Pet Shop Boys star Neil Tennant?

Funnily enough that appears to have happened on entirely the same stretch of road - "Route 80 between Morristown and Roswell".

Past bogus death reports have involved the likes of deaths of Adam Ant, Jim Carrey, Christian Slater, Vanilla Ice, Tom Cruise amongst many others...

The truth is that somewhat tasteless websites exist which allow anyone to automagically generate a fake news story about a death in a car crash. Simply changing the link changes the name of the victim.

Before you know it, internet users are unwittingly forwarding the message without checking their facts, and the tasteless website is earning itself some cash from all of the new traffic seeing its adverts.

Sadly, careless Facebook users are re-sharing this bogus story of Justin Bieber's death to all and sundry, keeping the hoax alive and helping drive traffic to a website that thinks it is clever to play such sick pranks.

Get your real news from real news websites. Don't trust Google or your Facebook friends, as they may be sharing links and stories that simply aren't true.

Follow @gcluley

View the original article here

Nude photos of Justin Bieber a ruse: bellybutton tells the tale! Think before you click

Over 170,000 people are part of the Sophos community on Facebook. Why not join us on Facebook to find out about the latest security threats.

Hi fellow Twitter user! Follow our team of security experts on Twitter for the latest news about internet security threats.

Already using Google+? Find us on Google+ for the latest security news.

Don't click on that photo of Justin Bieber!

It's not him, fans say.

Sure, there's the trademark bird tattoo on the left hip, but the nipples are all wrong.

A photo distributed on the internet shows a headless naked male body engaged in what might perhaps be a sexual act with himself.

It was allegedly leaked when a thief made off with the singer's laptop and camera after a show in Washington.

The gadgets contain "a lot of personal footage," the star tweeted within hours of the theft:

yesterday during the show me and my tour manager josh had some stuff stolen. really sucks. people should respect other's property—
Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) October 10, 2012

i had a lot of personal footage on that computer and camera and that is what bothers me the most. #lame #norespect—
Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) October 10, 2012

There's just so much wrong with this picture, and I'm not talking about Justin Bieber's pink parts.

The first bit of wrongness has to do with anybody who'd actually risk their cyber security by clicking on an alleged celebrity photo.

The land of Twitter has plenty of skeptical Twitizens, but so too does it have far too many drooling fans eager to click on JB's charms.

Take Breanna, for example:

Sucks about JB getting his stuff stolen, but I'm low key hoping for some racy photos out of this. #selfishtweet #biebernudes—
breanna (@Breannuhh) October 10, 2012

Hopefully, young fans like Breanna have wise friends who can educate them regarding malware, which loves to hitch a ride onto PCs using come-ons like nude celebrity pictures.

Earlier this week, Microsoft released its most recent Security Intelligence Report, which showed that photos, movies, software and other media are increasingly infested with Trojans and other attack vectors.

Anybody who goes out searching for nude photos of celebrities is just asking to be taken advantage of.

There's a long history of malware authors making the most of splashy celebrity-related headlines, whether it's the death of Michael Jackson or Amy Winehouse, Rihanna sex videos or a purported video of the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Beyond the danger of clicking on what could be malware-laced photos, what in the world is Bieber doing storing personal footage on a laptop that hasn't been properly encrypted and secured with a strong password?

Sophos's Graham Cluley made this YouTube video a while back to explain how to choose a hard-to-crack but easy-to-remember password, but if you're tackling the task of security education for Beliebers, you might want to cut right to the part where he addresses password management software programs like 1Password, KeePass and LastPass, any of which will lift the task of remembering all their different passwords.

And with that accomplished, we will leave Bieber's fans to the task of bellybutton analysis.

But do point out to them that, as the Huffington Post shows, the star's belly button is clearly an outie.

Follow @LisaVaas

View the original article here

Amy Winehouse hackers to target Justin Bieber - The Guardian

Justin Bieber, left and Lil B. Photograph: Isaac Brekken/Getty

Hackers using Lil B as their mascot have vandalised the websites of Amy Winehouse and singer Lauren Pritchard, claiming they also have data on Justin Bieber, Klaxons and, er, "[a] hundred thousand hundred trillion" Lady Gaga fans. Calling themselves SwagSec (Swagger Security), the group has waded into a crowded war of hack and double-hack, declaring their rivalry with both Anonymous and so-called "anti-sec" groups such as LulzSec.

Whereas other high-profile hackers have made their names breaking into servers operated by Bank of America, AT&T or Sony, SwagSec seem more musically minded. The name itself is a pop term: "swag" is Lil B's most notorious catchphrase, since taken up by everyone from Tyler, the Creator to Cher Lloyd. SwagSec claim to be a group of gay, black hackers, flying in the face of white hacker stereotype, and inverting the scene's typical juvenile homophobia. "We are here to take back the internet from the white devil," they wrote on Twitter. "We startin wid Amy Winehouse."

In their posting at AmyWinehouse.com, archived by the Daily Swarm , SwagSec warned other hackers to stop attacking Universal Music, Winehouse's label. "UMusic is our territory," they wrote. "We've had dis box on lock 4 yearz son." Last week, Anonymous's Operation AntiSec dumped hundreds of files linked to Universal and Viacom, including usernames and passwords. Soul singer Lauren Pritchard, whose website was also defaced, is another Universal artist. Both artist's websites have more or less since been restored.

California rapper Lil B doesn't seem directly linked to the group, but his face is plastered all over their work – and the timing of his supporters' hacks can't hurt. Just last week, Lil B released his new album, I'm Gay. Although he has been hailed for the way his album title challenges the hip-hop status quo, it turns out to be more of a publicity stunt than a rap Stonewall. "I'm not a gay man," he told Complex. The album's lyrics also make no mention of homosexuality. In fact, perhaps Lil B's most revolutionary move was to make the album available for free .

Ultimately, SwagSec's hackings may have less to do with wreaking havoc and more to do with catching the attention of one of their favourite musicians. "Shoutout 2 Lil B," they wrote on Amy Winehouse's website. "We fuckin luv u. If u mention us in a new trak brotha, we give u our bitchez. Promise."

View the original article here