New Warning Issued As Zero Day Bug Hijacks Top Brand And Celebrity Accounts On TikTok

TikTok is facing a new malicious code situation that is hijacking high-profile accounts on the app.

A leading number of official accounts belonging to both celebrities and brands were said to be compromised already including the likes of CNN as well as reality TV star Paris Hilton.

The incident arose when the malware was sent via a DM to the account present on the platform. It’s easy to be fooled as this doesn’t need any form of prior installation, clicks, or even a reply from respective users that’s beyond opening up messages.

Meanwhile, any account that’s compromised along the way isn’t able to publish content and so far, the company is not aware of the figure of users impacted so far.

The company’s rep was quick to speak up on the matter, adding how their security team is very aware of the alarming situation and doing everything they can to stop the exploitation and targeting of so many accounts.

They are also installing the right safeguards to prevent such attacks from arising in the future, it added. The company also mentioned working on how to protect compromised accounts, although they did clarify that the figures of those impacted are minimal.

The goal right now appears to be working alongside compromised accounts and ensuring their access gets restored as quickly as possible.

Today, TikTok has a global user base expanding to more than one billion users.

As far as leading news broadcaster CNN is concerned, they have also released a new statement on this front including how their security team is well aware of the situation and how threat actors are on the rise.

TikTok’s spokesperson said it’s working closely with CNN to ensure restoration of access and implementation of the best security measures to make sure accounts in the future don’t get impacted like this again.

They are dedicated to ensuring platform integrity is maintained at all times and that monitoring of more inauthentic behavior continues. It is not clear right now if the situation is under control or if threat actors continue to impact high-profile accounts.

Even those impacted are yet to speak about this in public including Paris Hilton who is said to be a popular name on the app.

This is not the first time that we’ve seen TikTok get embattled in such hacking behavior.

Last year during a similar time, the app went as far as to acknowledge how close to 700k accounts were hacked due to improper security across the app’s SMS channels linked to 2FA logins. This was right before the elections in Turkey were ready to take center stage.

Before that, we saw another serious vulnerability on the platform that forced hackers to take over profiles via a simple click. This was unveiled by researchers at Microsoft who made the company aware of the alarming situation.

On Tuesday, this shocking incident caused CNN to remove its account on TikTok for a while as a backend solution was being devised, in addition to other security measures.

We already know how America has scrutinized and called out TikTok as a growing concern for the country’s national security. This is why it’s been given a deadline to break away from its roots in China as many strongly feel Americans are being spied upon by Chinese government officials.

For now, no decision has been taken on separation from parent firm ByteDance but it’s quite clear from this situation that TikTok has its guard up and will do everything to ensure such a matter does not arise anything soon as the world watches.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Modern Cyber Defense
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Modern Cyber Defense

Cyber threats have become more sophisticated and frequent in today’s digital age. While still essential, traditional cybersecurity measures are often insufficient to keep up with the evolving landscape of cyber attacks.

Image by Elchinator from Pixabay

This is where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) come into play. These two technologies revolutionize modern cyber defense strategies and provide a more robust, proactive approach to protecting sensitive data and systems. This post details the role of AI and ML in modern cyber defense.

The Evolution of Cyber Threats

Cyber threats have advanced far from simple viruses and worms of the past. Modern cyber attacks are more complex, often orchestrated by organized crime syndicates or state-sponsored actors.

These attacks can involve advanced persistent threats (APTs), ransomware, phishing schemes, and zero-day exploits, which can bypass traditional security measures. The dynamic nature of these threats necessitates a more advanced approach to threat detection and response.

The New Frontiers in Cybersecurity

AI and ML technologies offer significant advantages in cybersecurity. Their ability to analyze vast amounts of data at unprecedented speeds enables them to identify patterns and anomalies that might indicate a cyber threat. Here are some key ways AI and ML are transforming cyber defense:

Predictive Analytics

AI and ML excel in predictive analytics, which involves analyzing historical data to predict future cyber threats. By learning from past incidents, these technologies can anticipate potential attack vectors and vulnerabilities, allowing organizations to fortify their defenses proactively. For instance, ML models can predict which types of attacks are likely to target specific systems. This enables tailored security measures that address those specific threats.

Behavioral Analysis

Traditional security measures often rely on predefined rules and signatures to detect threats. However, AI and ML take a different approach by analyzing user and system behavior.

Behavioral analysis can detect deviations from normal activity, even if the specific threat has not been seen before. This method is particularly effective against insider threats and new, previously unknown types of malware.

Enhanced Incident Response

When a cyber-attack occurs, the speed and effectiveness of the response are critical. AI and ML can enhance incident response by automating the initial steps of the process. For example, AI-driven systems can isolate affected devices, block malicious traffic, and start forensic investigations, all within seconds. This rapid response can significantly limit the damage caused by an attack and speed up the recovery process.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation

Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and so must the defense against them. AI and ML systems are designed to continuously learn and adapt from new data. This means these systems become more effective at identifying and mitigating threats over time. Unlike traditional security measures, which may become outdated, AI and ML-driven defenses evolve alongside the threats.

Challenges and Considerations

While AI and ML offer substantial benefits for cyber defense, they are not without challenges. One major concern is the potential for false positives, where unharmful activities are misclassified as threats. This can overwhelm security teams with alerts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the defense strategy. Cybercriminals also leverage AI and ML, creating an ongoing arms race between attackers and defenders.

Endnote

AI and ML are transforming cybersecurity, offering powerful tools for detecting, predicting, and responding to cyber threats. Their ability to analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and learn from past incidents makes them essential components of a robust cyber defense strategy.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Behind the Glam: The Business of Being an Instagram Celebrity And Influencer

BoredPanda has shared an infographic of celebrities and influencers who earn the most from Instagram in the US. The celebrities with most earnings from Instagram in the US were narrowed down after identifying 850 most followed celebrities on Instagram and analyzing 90,000 posts from all those celebrities. Different other metrics were also analyzed to identify celebrities with most Instagram earnings like posts with paid partnerships and hashtags like “ad”, “sponsored”, etc. So, this means that this data is only about the earnings which were from only Instagram posts, and not from Instagram reels or stories. All of the celebrity earnings below are not in order.

Kylie Jenner, an influencer based in the US, earns the most from Instagram. She has an average earning of $16,816,068 from Instagram. The musician, Demi Lovato, has earned $2,830,716 from Instagram while celebrity model, Hailey Bieber who is based in Arizona has earned $1,272,542 from her Instagram posts. Other Instagram celebrities in the Instagram billionaire club are Mr. Beast and Madelyn Cline with $2107,057 and $1,280,215 earnings respectively. Celebrities like Beyonce($1,919,636), Ellen DeGeneres($9,221,138) and Jennifer Lopez($9,130, 949) are also among celebrities with the most Instagram earnings.

There are also sport related celebrities who earn a lot on Instagram. Among these sports celebrities are Steph Curry($7,502,807) and Shaquille O’Neal($3,479,852). Serena Williams was also among them with $562,172 Instagram earnings.

Some other Instagram celebrities with the most Instagram earnings include Chris Patt, Zach King, Jason Momoa and Diplo. Actors like Courtney Cox, Victoria Justice, Madison Bailey and Mandy Moore are also among the celebrities with the most Instagram earnings.

Read next: Top YouTube Channels: The Ultimate List of Most-Subscribed Creators in 2024 Revealed!
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

The Download Boom: 1,400 Apps and Games Now Hit 1 Million Downloads Monthly

The figure one million is a great number to play with. And that’s especially true if you happen to be an app developer and tend to gain downloads in that domain.

But have you ever wondered which apps and gaming platforms are the most downloaded each month and go as far as hitting that 1M milestone?

There’s no reason for you to guess anymore because we’re back thanks to some great app intelligence to decipher just that. And don’t be surprised because the facts are a little startling, to say the least.

The last time we asked followers, they happened to be so off in that regard. If we look at stats from the year 2023, nearly 1300 platforms hit the one million figure. And today, it’s gone up to 1400. So yes, an almost 8% rise is something many will not mind.

Now, it’s time to break down which platforms ended up giving these incredible stats.

Thanks to Explorer, we saw close to 1400 applications and gaming platforms get that incredible recognition. But were there more apps or games that ended up making the list?

The answer is applications but the greatness or lead over games wasn’t as much as you may be expecting. 47% of them are games and the rest or 53% are applications. These kinds of downloads do end up aligning well.

When it came to games, downloads were as much as 1.6 billion, and apps on the other hand were installed twice as much, hitting the two billion mark.

Every big name was presented on the list so they ended up getting skipped. When you dig deeper, you get a clearer picture of who really is doing better than all others.

As per expert analysis, it’s actually photo editors and video gettings getting more love now than ever. Meanwhile, food delivery platforms, fitness apps, and several VPNs continue to reign supreme as we speak.

When we look at the figures seen at the store, it’s actually Android’s Google Play with the upper lead when compared to Apple’s App Store. 87% of every platform tends to attain greater than one million installations across Google Play. You’ve got both gaming platforms and applications. Meanwhile, Apple only has 13% of the share.

Coming to the exact figures for downloads, they’re not small. It’s actually quite large and as per the estimated figures, close to 87% of those produced downloads greater than 3 billion in May alone while the figure was a little less than 500 million arising from Apple’s App Store.

At the Apple App Store, photo and video editors hit the top of the list for most downloaded platforms while social networking came at number two. In third place, it was productivity apps that continued to muster a lot of attention.

At Google’s Play Store, tools were the most popular category for downloads while social and communication apps stole the second and third leading position. So what we can conclude from here is that downloads were much greater when you’re on Google Play.

From what we can see right now, this really provides a great understanding of the dataset at large and a great picture in terms of where download stats lie. Applications and gaming platforms are not going anywhere and if they continue to provide the kind of entertainment that they do, there’s no stopping them getting bigger figures for the remaining part of the year.

H/T: Appfigures.

Read next: These are the most subscribed and viewed YouTube channels of 2024
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Mr. Beast Has Become the Most Subscribed Channel on YouTube, After Surpassing T-Series

Mr. Beast is a well known content creators, mostly known for his gameshow type of videos on YouTube. Almost all of his videos gain millions of views and people overall enjoy watching his content. Mr. Beast has now become the most subscribed channel on YouTube. Previously, the crown for the channel with the most subscribers was held by T-series, a Bollywood music production channel. It had been the same since 2018, when T-series was successful in gaining more subscribers than the channel known PewDiePie. PewDiePie had to face too many controversies in 2018 and it was a good chance for T-series to take over.

Mr.Beast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, was ecstatic with the news of him becoming the most subscribed on YouTube. He wrote on X that he has finally taken revenge for PewDiePie from T-series. When PewDiePie’s channel was competing with against T-series, Mr. Beast offered a lot of support to PewDiePie.

When Mr. Beast became the most subscribed YouTuber, he also said that this was the biggest subscriber increase he had ever experienced on his channel. Right now, Mr. Beast has 270 million total subscribers on his YouTube channel. Mr. Beast has also continued breaking records. Just in August 2023, he also claimed that one of his videos on his YouTube video has the record for highest views in 24 hours for a non-music video. This was when Mr. Beast’s subscribers were 174 million so this is really impressive.

It is important to note that, despite Mr. Beast has claimed the throne as YouTube's most subscribed channel, his impressive subscriber count doesn't necessarily translate to the most views. When we look at the data (provided in the infographic above and raw data below), T-series still reigns supreme in terms of total views, boasting a staggering 256.81 billion views compared to Mr. Beast's 50.37 billion. Despite his dominance in subscriber numbers, Mr. Beast trails behind T-series and other heavyweights like Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes and SET India in total views, showcasing the diverse landscape of YouTube content consumption.

Channel	Subscribers (in Million)	Views (in Billion)	Videos
MrBeast	270M	50.37B	798
T-Series	266M	256.81B	21.07K
Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes	176M	182.88B	1.17K
SET India	173M	164.52B	138.69K
Kids Diana Show	122M	103.39B	1.22K
Vlad and Niki	118M	90.77B	718
Like Nastya	116M	100.77B	885
PewDiePie	111M	29.31B	4.76K
Zee Music Company	107M	66.73B	11.17K
WWE	102M	84.86B	76.51K
Goldmines	97.1M	28.99B	8.53K
BLACKPINK	93.9M	35.66B	596
Sony SAB	92.4M	115.06B	85.53K
ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs	91.3M	50.98B	790
5-Minute Crafts	80.7M	27.37B	7.04K
Zee TV	80.6M	89.81B	175.51K
BANGTANTV	78.1M	22.97B	2.51K
Baby Shark - Pinkfong Kids’ Songs & Stories	75.2M	43.81B	3.24K
HYBE LABELS	74.9M	34.2B	1.84K
Justin Bieber	73M	32.31B	249

Read next: From Massachusetts to Mississippi: Exploring the Range of Living Costs Across America
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

From Massachusetts to Mississippi: Exploring the Range of Living Costs Across America

SmartAsset conducted a research that talked about how much money a family needs monthly to live comfortably in every state of the USA. A comfortable lifestyle is often divided by 50/30/20 rules where 50% income is spent on necessities, 30% of income is spent on nonessential expenses like entertainment etc. and 20% of income is for savings or investments. So, according to the data collected from different states, the report ranks Massachusetts as the most expensive state in the USA to live in. You need to have a total of $301,184 annual income for a family (which included only 2 working adults raising 2 children). The reason why this state is most expensive is probably because of its housing and real estate market trends. The houses are too costly to buy and the rents are barely affordable for a middle class family. The healthcare and utilities in Massachusetts are also very expensive.

The second most expensive city to live in the US is Hawaii. If you are two working adults with two children, you should have $294,611 annual income to have a comfortable lifestyle. Connecticut is the third most expensive state with $279,885 income on average to live comfortably. Other states in the top list of most expensive states to live in the USA include New York ($278,970), California ($276,723), Colorado ($264,992), Washington ($257,421), Oregon (257,338), New Jersey ($251,181) and Rhode Island ($249,267).

The three most least expensive states in the USA to live comfortably are Mississippi, Arkansas and West Virginia. Mississippi is the least expensive with $177,798 annual income to live comfortably. Arkansas is the second least expensive state and requires $180,794 yearly income while West Virginia is the third least expensive with $189,363 annual income to have a comfortable lifestyle.

State	Hourly wage needed for a single adult	Annual salary needed for a single adult	Annual income for 2 working adults raising 2 children
Massachusetts	$55.78	$116,022	$301,184
Hawaii	$54.66	$113,693	$294,611
California	$54.64	$113,651	$276,723
New York	$53.72	$111,738	$278,970
Washington	$51.20	$106,496	$257,421
Colorado	$49.66	$103,293	$264,992
New Jersey	$49.52	$103,002	$251,181
Maryland	$49.48	$102,918	$239,450
Oregon	$48.60	$101,088	$257,338
Rhode Island	$48.48	$100,838	$249,267
Connecticut	$48.26	$100,381	$279,885
Virginia	$48.06	$99,965	$235,206
New Hampshire	$47.16	$98,093	$244,109
Arizona	$46.80	$97,344	$230,630
Georgia	$46.58	$96,886	$212,826
Alaska	$46.52	$96,762	$242,611
Vermont	$46.04	$95,763	$248,352
Illinois	$45.72	$95,098	$231,962
Delaware	$45.26	$94,141	$228,966
Utah	$45.04	$93,683	$218,483
Nevada	$44.92	$93,434	$237,286
Florida	$44.86	$93,309	$209,082
Maine	$44.08	$91,686	$229,549
Pennsylvania	$43.90	$91,312	$230,464
North Carolina	$43.12	$89,690	$209,331
Minnesota	$42.90	$89,232	$244,774
Idaho	$42.66	$88,733	$211,245
South Carolina	$42.46	$88,317	$200,762
Wyoming	$42.14	$87,651	$203,424
Texas	$41.84	$87,027	$201,344
Tennessee	$41.54	$86,403	$195,770
Indiana	$40.88	$85,030	$206,003
Montana	$40.74	$84,739	$211,411
Kansas	$40.70	$84,656	$196,768
Michigan	$40.56	$84,365	$214,490
Wisconsin	$40.44	$84,115	$225,056
Missouri	$40.40	$84,032	$202,259
Alabama	$40.30	$83,824	$193,606
Nebraska	$40.24	$83,699	$213,075
New Mexico	$40.20	$83,616	$203,923
Iowa	$40.08	$83,366	$211,411
Mississippi	$39.78	$82,742	$177,798
Louisiana	$39.64	$82,451	$189,613
South Dakota	$39.16	$81,453	$192,608
Kentucky	$38.80	$80,704	$190,112
Ohio	$38.80	$80,704	$209,331
North Dakota	$38.72	$80,538	$202,176
Oklahoma	$38.66	$80,413	$194,106
Arkansas	$38.20	$79,456	$180,794
West Virginia	$37.88	$78,790	$189,363

Read next: What Are The Most Important Issues Facing The US Right Now? This New Survey Says It All
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Setting Up Google Alerts: Tips and Tricks for Effective Web Monitoring

Google Alerts remain a hidden gem, with many unaware of its powerful capabilities.

Not only is it designed to monitor the web for all sorts of new mentions in regard to search terms, but it also brings added benefits. This includes customization to your search preferences and also the chance to delete it whenever you want.

Alerts are sent to the user on an immediate basis or they can be scheduled to be done on specific days or times of the week.

All in all, what you get are the latest updates on what’s trending in an industry, region, or even around the globe. How cool is that, not to mention how it can elevate the search experience in a manner like never before.

In case you’re wondering what benefits this brings when you already can search the regular way, well, we’re here to discuss that with you.

This feature gives rise to a proactive search of the web for certain terms that you desire. You can think of it like a keyword. Now select how often you’d like to see content linked to that term. Now whenever there is anything relevant to that particular term, across a blog or new video featured, for instance, you would be notified. This way, you’re highly unlikely to miss out on all of your favorite things, thanks to Google's powerful feature.

The tech giant first rolled this out in the year 2003 after the idea was brought forward to the company’s heads by one of its engineers. As far as which initial keywords were used for testing of the alerts, well, it was Google and Larry Page.

While it's been around for over 20 years, its importance has never diminished. In the past, it got negative reviews from users who complained about how it was just too restricted, not accurate, or simply irrelevant. Plenty of monitoring firms are cropping it up as a whole and providing their own respective alternatives on this front.

One of the biggest advantages here is linked to the fact that it doesn’t cost a penny. So many brands might need more intricate software to have things monitored, this effort by Google works great for everyday users.

Now the question is whether or not it’s user-friendly and if yes, how to set this up the right way.

Simple Steps For Google Alert Setup

It’s actually quite simple, contrary to many people’s thinking today. You need to make sure you’re logged into the account on Google and then you can navigate towards the Alerts page on the Google website.

After that, search any keyword you wish to follow across the bar that says ‘create alert’. There is no limit to what or who you’d like to get alerts for so be creative if you like. Once that is done, press on the blue box that states, ‘Create alert’. And that is it!

You managed to give rise to the first Google Alert and now you can go about accessing that and editing as you wish. Simply visit the Alerts homepage and click on your desired keyword that you want to track or directly go to the inbox of your email account to get the detailed report.

While it does not have its own respective app, every member would get alerts through iPhone devices or their respective smartphones online.

Just go to the page for alerts across the device’s browser and be sure to follow the list of steps.

Oh and just for the fun of it, click on creating alerts against your name too, who knows, you might get famous through this means with your name alerts.

While there is yet to be a means through which you can find out about who is looking for you on the Google search engine, you can go back to carry out a search in your name through Google Trends and that proves if people do have search interest in anything, even you!

Customization is key!

But wait, once the setting up of alerts process is completed, there is more to be done on your part. Through default means, allow Google to roll out updates regarding the alerts each day, at least once. However, you can alter the frequency to your liking as per your choice. There’s a whole technique for customization available and we think that’s great.

Simply go to the page for alerts and search for the specific want that you wish to alter with your customization. Press on the pencil (edit) icon that’s present on the alert’s right side. This would open settings.

Once that’s done, press on a new page and see how often you get alerts and which language you require. At the same time, the region for sourcing and where you’d like to attain the alerts can even be selected through customization. After that, press the Update Alert button in blue.

If you’d like all the alerts delivered to you at a particular time, press on the gear icon that’s located on the right-hand side for My Alerts and click on the time of delivery. You can then go about limiting the alerts to the frequency of your choice.

You may also request Google to send alert updates across a certain email instead of sending them separately.

How to delete your Google Alerts

The last step is for those who would like to delete an alert. Imagine you’re bored of something or no longer wish to know what’s trending in that respective domain. If that’s the case, simply click on the Google Alerts page and locate the recycle bin icon that’s located right next to the alert you wish to remove.

After you select that, the alert will disappear instantly. Meanwhile, the taskbar on the heading of the page would pop up and would read, ‘your alert on XYZ’ was removed or deleted. It would give you the chance to undo that if you want and if not, you can dismiss it. If the latter is selected, you delete it permanently. The same would be the case if you closed the Alerts page.

Read next: How to Turn Off Meta AI on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World