Category: Facebook

Posted in Facebook, Instagram, Security

Security: Will Facebook Now Force Instagram To Adopt 2-Step Login‽

Posted on by Darnell Clayton

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Another weak & another Instagram breach. This time by a…white hat hacker‽ 

But Wineberg carried on probing for more weaknesses in Instagram’s architecture. He said he’d found a server configuration file that contained some keys for Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing provider used to host Instagram’s Sensu setup. Those keys let him see that there were 82 different “buckets” – Amazon’s term for digital storage units. The same keys, however, did not allow him to access any of the buckets apart from one. He looked through the latest file in that bucket and found nothing sensitive, but when he looked at an older version of the file, hidden within was yet another Amazon set of keys. These gave him access to all 82 buckets. 

He was shocked by the basic errors Instagram had made. “It’s the kind of thing I would have expected from a startup after a year or less, not a company owned by Facebook,” he told FORBES. (Forbes)

Facebook is enraged by this breach (and rightfully so), although it makes me wonder why Instagram has yet to implement 2-Step Login (aka 2-Factor Authentification) as another layer of protection for the 400 million plus users accessing the site. 

Facebook has already implemented 2-Step Login, as well as Tumblr, Twitter, Google, WordPress, et al, yet Instagram is somehow too lazy or too inept to provide this because [insert silly excuse here].

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I love Instagram (I am @Darnell over there) but if they do not care about the security of their users then why should they upload photos and videos to the site‽

If you ask me it’s time for a friendly Facebook intervention by Zuck & crew into the instaverse lest our Instagram accounts get seized by a black hat hacker!

Image Credits: Instagram & SecurEnvoy

Posted in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine

My @VineApp Wish List (Instagram Take Note)

Posted on by Darnell Clayton
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I like Vine. I like Instagram with Videos. I love competition. 


But unless Vine adds these features to their app in the next 30 days they may soon join Viddy in the land of forsaken apps. 
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Custom URL’s

Yes, I know services like Google+ have eschewed custom URL’s (aka Vanity URL’s) for the masses and are still thriving.
But honestly without a way for outsiders to easily visit you online it’s difficult to convert the digital heathens into Vine disciples. 
With Instagram I merely tell people to visit me at Instagram.com/Darnell and next thing you know Facebook has stolen another cyber soul into their photo portal. 
Vine on the other hand I have to tell people to search for “Darnell” amongst the sea of Darnell’s).
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If you can’t see why that is a problem try searching for Barack Obama and tell me which one is the official account! I’ll wait…
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Sharing Is Caring

Vine shares to Twitter. So does Instagram! Vine shares to Facebook. So does Instagram! 

Vine needs to embrace simple sharing to Tumblr, Pinterest, et al (and yes that wonky embedding is a start but alas only geeks will use it). 
Instagram has coldly embraced several services with video (by linkage only) and Vine could surpass Instagram Videos if they fully embrace sharing to more platforms (especially blogging ones beyond Tumblr). 
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Editing Past Clips

Do you know how many times I’ve deleted a Vine because of one bad clip?!
Instagram actually recognizes that I’m human (instead of a Cylon) so I naturally make mistakes. 
Since I’m posting Vines to the World Wide Web I at least would like them to look decent (as this isn’t Snapchat). 
This is probably one of the reasons why the masses are hopping on Instagram Video as they can capture the perfect moment minus the frustration. 
Adding this feature alone would bring me back into the Vinosphere. 
Special Effects Please!

Vine is to Instagram videos what a Cylon Centurion is to a Terminator (excuse my Battlestar Galactican please!). 
Vine doesn’t need filters (as they ruin the video) but what what Vine really needs is special effects.
A few suggestions would include voice overs, slow motion, rewinds (play the video clip backwards) and non-cheesy sound effects. 
This would not only help Twitter’s little brother gain an advantage against Facebook’s enforcer but also help Vine carve out a niche of their own (all within 6.5 seconds). 
Etcetera 

There are a few other features (like spam control, 2-factor authentication, et al) but those are merely icing on the cake. 
What I really need is for Vine to be the sweet spot of the Internet again as it’s one of the few services not owned by Google, Facebook, Yahoo, or Microsoft that is not only fun to use but also not NSA approved.