What has been and what might come
It's time to change your passwords
A single seller put almost 750 million records from 24 hacked sites up for sale in one week, a while back. Now, the unidentified hacker has struck again.
The hacker began listing user data from several major websites earlier this week - the sources include MyFitnessPal, 500px and dating site Coffee Meets Bagel. This weekend, the hacker added another eight sites and 91 million user records to their dark web marketplace.
The hacker has revealed breaches at 30 companies, totalling about 841 million records. The hacker is selling the last eight hacked sites for 2.6 bitcoin, or about $9,350.
Russia will disconnect itself from the internet to see what happens
Russia is planning to detach itself from the internet as part of an experiment designed to protect the country from state-backed cyber attacks. This experiment is a response to a proposed new law requiring all internet traffic to pass through Russian servers, and internet service providers are now working with the Russian government to prepare for the test.
When passing the law, the Digital Economy National Program legislation requires the local internet "Runet", to pass through exchange points managed by Russia's telecommunications regulator Roskomnazor. And, according to a Russian news agency, the experiment will temporarily separate Runet from the broader internet at some point before 1 April.
The Digital Economy National Program will protect Russia in the event of cyberwar, while also filtering internet traffic to the country, like the 'Great Firewall of China'.
Is blockchain the solution to tackle ad fraud?
AdAge estimates that ad fraud takes $1 for every $3 spent on digital ads. In 2016 alone, marketers lost $7.2 billion to ad fraud. With a challenge of this magnitude, it’s no surprise that 78% of marketers cite click fraud as their top concern, according to a recent poll.
Many industry leaders are hopeful and recognise the potential of blockchain to solve the issues. A layer of transparency and accountability in a blockchain-driven advertising ecosystem can empower buyers and sellers to verify the placement of their campaigns and measure ad impressions with no bias from intermediaries.
A recent report from startup Lucidity indicated that a blockchain-based optimisation could lead to a significant bottom-line boost. When removing discrepant impressions and clicks from one unnamed campaign, for instance, the report said, “conversion rates increased by over 214 per cent.”
Tool of the week: Chatbot
Chatbot is a tool that helps you build a chatbot in no time without any coding. You can deploy your bot to Facebook Messages, Slack, or your website – out of the box.
While there's already a lot of terrible chatbot experiences around the web, we probably won't solve the user experience design of bots without creating more bots and learning by doing.
With tools like Chatbot, everyone can create the chatbots of their dreams. And if you find it hard to get started, they have a toolbox of lessons where you get guided through your first bot creations. Enjoy!
