EOTB: Linden Lab Reminds Residents To Be Wary of Scammers and Hackers

 

The day after Team Firestorm began warning users of it's viewer to be on the lookout for scammers trying to trick them into clicking on supposed viewer downloads and other suspicious links, on Tuesday September 3, Linden Lab would post it's own warning on the official blog, telling residents to "Stay alert."

 

You may see viewer download links shared in local chat, DM, or even group chat. These links are usually unsafe and link to software that compromises your Second Life account or installs additional hidden software that gives a stranger control of your computer. Be wary of downloadable software links. Strangers may claim that their link is an early fix, a special version of the viewer, or an early release of an anticipated product. Don’t be fooled!

If you see a link advertising a Third-Party Viewer, don’t click it directly. Always check our Third Party Viewer Directory for a list of safe download locations. All approved third-party viewers are included here, and the official Second Life Viewer is available from the Second Life site. To help keep others safe, share this blog post and submit an Abuse Report if you see a suspicious link shared in world. 

 They would also offer five suggestions

 

Be wary of unsolicited messages or emails. If you receive a message from an unknown sender or even a friend (you never know if their account was compromised), be cautious before clicking any links. It’s always best to err on the side of caution. 

Check the website’s URL. Before logging into the website, ensure you’re on a legitimate site. A phishing website will often have a similar-looking URL, but with slight variations. Check for spelling errors or subtle changes in the website’s address. 

Look for security indicators. Legitimate websites will often have security indicators, such as a padlock icon or “https” in the URL. This indicates that your information is being transmitted securely. If you are unsure if a URL is legitimate, you can always send in a support ticket and ask for clarification. 

 
Use strong passwords. A strong password is at least 8 characters long and combines uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. You should also use a different password for each online account to reduce the risk of multiple accounts being compromised if one password is stolen. 

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). This will add an extra layer of security to your account by requiring a second form of identification to access your account to make account changes.

 To see the blog post in full, Click Here. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

BREAKING NEWS: Hackers Redirecting Residents From Second Life to "Putin World"

* Update - April Fool's*

In what is either an escilation in the growing tensions between Russia and the West, a massive troll by pro-Putin hackers, or perhaps both, residents of Second Life are getting re-routed to the wrong virtual world.

Starting at 1 PM SL time March 31 (Midnight Moscow time), a few residents in Russia, Turkey, and east Africa were finding trying to login to Second Life, they ended up in another virtual world entirely. The entry area looked like Red Square in Moscow, complete with the Kremlin and Lenin's tomb. As time went on, more and more residents in more and more countries, starting when their own region reached Midnight, found themselves in this place as well. As of the writing of this article, a few residents in Eastern Standard Time in the Eastern US, Quebec & Ontario, and Columbia & Peru are posting on Facebook that they've somehow logged onto there. Logging out and logging back in, they end up back in this other virtual world.

This copy of Second Life is called "Putin World." Going beyond the Red Square area, there's a much smaller number of sims than Second Life. There are Russian cities with cheerful workers, Russian towns with happy locals, Russian farms with happy peasants, slums with banks flying American and European flags, with unhappy masses, WW2 battle scenes showing retreating German soldiers fleeing from T-34 tanks, and woods with builds of a bare-chested Putin riding a bear. Everywhere are signs describing Putin as the "glorious leader" who made Russia great again, and that anyone opposed to him is either a fool needing institutionalization, or a criminal needing prison.

So far, only a tiny fraction of residents have been re-routed. But the number has been growing as time goes on. Linden Lab is investigating the hacking, and trying to come up with a solution.

Update. Linden Lab has announced that they've come up with a patch that will prevent residents from being sent to Putin World, and should fix affected accounts and send them back to Second Life.

To read more on the patch and to download it, Click Here.

Bixyl Shuftan