Tech & Web

Sony Pictures Databases Hacked, User Account Credentials Exposed Globally

Current Events, Tech & Web

[Jump to update on 6/4/2011, sensitive accounts compromised] Today, Lulz Security (LulzSec) successfully hacked Sony Pictures’ databases using a simple SQL injection by exploiting a basic security gap. Last month LulzSec hacked Sony Music Japan using a SQL injection, soon after another group used the same method to attack Sony BMG Greece! The big deal with today’s hacking of Sony Pictures’ database is that at least 1 million of the 4.5 million records that were discovered in the database hacks contain sensitive user information – we’re talking passwords, e-mail addresses, street addresses and usernames. All this information is currently available to the world right now, and as long as the site stays up it’s on the LulzSec website. Too bad for you if your credentials are in those 4.5 million records – but don’t sit on your hands and wait around for something worse to happen (change your passwords because no one else will help you!).

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Facebook Spreads Virus, Corporate Management: 'Told You So!'

Tech & Web

Facebook Is My Day JobWith over 175 million users Facebook has become an ideal place to proliferate and spread ridiculously potent viruses.  The only solution is to completely block social networking websites from the workplace.  The newest of the viruses is the ‘Koobface‘ worm – it phishes its way onto user computers by getting users to open messages that appear to be sent from their Facebook friends.

Facebook in the Workplace
Facebook users and internet marketers have been pushing, often staunchly, for the privilege to use the social network while at work. Management didn’t really care about the harm to their IT infrastructure, for the most part they worried about the potential (and later observed) decline in productivity associated with allowing access to the website.

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Cause-Specific Websites: The Flood Gates are Open

Nonprofits, Tech & Web

Cause-Specific Social Networking WebsitesA couple weeks back I introduced the new nonprofit social startup Causecast.org. I have since learned of two great websites that put Causecast back in the ‘contender’ category – because they have been around a lot longer and both enjoy a substantial amount of members.

In fact, SocialVibe.com and Ammado.com share many of the same ’causes’ . Both websites provide visitors with a wide selection of nonprofits to follow. SocialVibe wins my vote as the most efficient, usable, and well-designed website. The website allows you to ‘join’ as many causes as you wish – once you join a cause you can contribute to the nonprofit’s SocialVibe community by submitting donations, uploading multimedia (photos, videos), writing in a cause-specific forum, and finally, you can share the nonprofit’s SocialVibe page on other social networks (MySpace, Facebook, etc.). The ‘One Laptop Per Child’ cause has a well-utilized page on SocialVibe.
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Youtube launches 'In My Name' video project for poverty elimination

Nonprofits, Tech & Web

Today, Youtube launches a new philanthopic effort aimed at addressing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) to end global poverty. Starting today, through November 1st, site visitors throughout the world will be able to submit videos of themselves addressing a local and/or global poverty-related issue.

If executed effectively the ‘In My Name’ project will prove to be one of the most effective povert-related campaigns ever executed, both online and offline. Youtube’s massive reach (estimated 73.5 million per month) is the main reason for the campaign’s inevitable success. Today’s teens and young adults are spending more of their free time online than watching tv and reading magazines – if any youth-focused marketing campaign is to prove effective it must have a substantial online component. The youthful and tech-saavy demographic that accounts for the majority of Youtube’s daily audience is a huge plus on its own.
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Introduction to: Craigslist.org, Bizrate.com, and Sneakers.com

Marketing, Tech & Web

Craigslist.org

Craigslist.org appears to be using a Classified Advertising e-business model – perhaps in the simplest form possible on the net, requiring little to no viewer information input and minimal user information input – it should be noted that Craigslist has been intended as a non-profit site, and the creator has established a non-profit programming and developing community.

The “Best of Craigslist” section of the site is a snapshot of the average Craigslist user. User is defined as the person posting a classified ad onto the site and viewer, alternatively is the person viewing that ad. The average user on Craiglist is someone that has been using the internet for over 1 year and has relied on e-mail for communication; in addition, most users are familiar with internet marketplaces and they tend to be between 30 and 45 years of age.  Continue reading …