Tag Archives: security
Disable Facebook Picture Auto-Tagging
Facebook have done it again:
Facebook sorry over face tagging launch
Facebook has apologised for the way it rolled-out a new system that recognises users’ faces.
The social network said that it should have done more to notify members about the global launch.
Its Tag Suggestions feature scans photos and automatically picks out existing friends.
Although users have the option to switch it off, some complained that they were not explicitly asked if they wanted it activated.
(Source: BBC News)
If, like me, you found it difficult to figure out how to disable this setting, here’s some help (with thanks to Chris) :)
In your Facebook account go to: (more…)
Fixing Mikeyy and Other Twitter Security Holes
If your twitter account starts sending messages by itself, or has weird stuff that you didn’t enter in your profile like text that reads “Mikeyy” or other names, then it’s highly likely that your account has been taken over via security hole (specifically a “cross-scripting bug”).
How It Happened
Your account was probably infected when you viewed the profile of somebody else infected in your web browser. Often these are hidden behind tinyurl and other URL shorteners – bear that in mind.
Fixing The Problem
- To fix it, the first thing you should do is turn off JavaScript.
- Go to your Twitter Account Settings (You may need to get your password reset via email before you can log in.)
- Update your Name, Username, More info URL, One Line Bio. Press ‘Save‘!
- Click the Password tab and change your password. Click ‘Change‘.
- You should now be able to turn back on JavaScript.
Update: One other place I’ve heard there might be security issues is the background colours page of your profile design, so go and reset the colours in the design section. You need to have JavaScript on to do this – avoid visiting any other twitter profiles while fixing your design settings.
Preventing it Happening Again
To avoid problems with this in future, I recommend you use a secure browser (I recommend Firefox instead of Internet Explorer). You should either browse with Javascript turned off (which kinda sucks) or use a plugin like NoScript for Firefox which allows you pick and choose what you allow to run.
Did this help?
If this helped you out, follow me on twitter and send me a message. I get the warm fuzzies when I find out that these posts helped someone, somewhere.
If it didn’t help, then send me a message on Twitter or leave a comment below with your question – I might be able to help out with the issue!
Regards, Alastair.