Myspace used the tool 'Overlord' to spy on users during the rise


by

Nahel Abdul Hadi

Music and entertainment SNS ' Myspace ' has been using Spy Tool ' Overlord ', which can steal user messages and passwords, during the boom period, VICE of foreign media reports.

When Myspace Was King, Employees Abused Called 'Overlord' to Spy on Users-VICE
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5w4xx/myspace-employees-spied-on-users-with-internal-tool-overlord

Myspace is a popular social network that topped 100 million accounts in the fall of 2006. Until around 2006 it was the second most popular website in the United States, and more popular than Google search.

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Such Myspace 'uses a tool called Overlord that allows employees to steal user passwords and messages,' reports VICE based on information obtained from several former Myspace employees. Overlord originally managed the entire platform and was a tool designed to enable Myspace to comply with the requirements of law enforcement agencies, but Myspace employees at the time used it for the unlawful purpose of 'accessing user data without permission.' It was said that

Motherboard , which handles technology related news on VICE, gets information from five anonymous former employees to investigate Myspace's internals. Among them, one of the former employees says, 'Overlord was basically a backdoor for the entire Myspace platform.'

According to a source, the act of stealing the user's personal information in Myspace was widespread around 10 years ago around 2009. Until now, Overlord's existence has not been revealed, but Myspace's case shows that sensitive data and user communications on the platform are vulnerable to employees.

Featured Content on Myspace



According to one employee's explanation, Overlord was also used to manage content on the platform, and was also used by customer support staff to enforce deletion requests for piracy. .

When VICE asked about Overlord by phone to Hemanshu Nigam, who was responsible for Myspace's security department for five years from 2006 to 2010, 'Every company has similar tools. It's about dealing with user abuse on the platform, dealing with law enforcement and civil requests, or managing user accounts. '

As Nigam argues, social media may legally require tools like Overlord. However, one of the sources said that Myspace has experienced that employees who abused Overlord have been fired, 'this tool has been abused (to former employees) to gain access to the lover's login credentials. It is said that. And Myspace may have identified an employee who was exploiting Overlord.

According to the two former sources of information, Overlord is a very easy-to-use tool. It is very rare today that management tools like Overlord have access to plaintext user passwords. Normally, the password is stored in an encrypted state, so the platform can not log in illegally.


by Markus Spiske

When VICE asks Myspace about Overlord, a spokesman says, 'With the use of management tools like Overlord, you will be able to follow orders from law enforcement agencies and courts, and also security and We will also be able to protect users from internet threats, 'commenting that the existence of management tools like Overlord is important for platform operation. In addition, he stated that 'misuse of user data leads to termination of employment,' and he made a statement to the fact that employees who abused Overlord were dismissed. In addition, at the time of writing, access to tools like Overlord is 'limited to very few employees', adding that all access logs are recorded and reviewed. You

A former managerial source who worked in Myspace is 'searched to find out which agent has unauthorized access to the account. The manager takes action,' said an employee who abused Overlord. Comment on the case process. Nigam also said, 'Myspace had strict access restrictions, had to be trained before it was allowed to use the tool, and there was administrative oversight of how it was used,' You However, Nigam also points out that the impact of misuse is far greater today as each platform handles much larger amounts of data, and that corporate responsibilities are more extensive.

Also, Tom Anderson, founder of Myspace, did not respond to inquiries from VICE.

in Web Service,   Security, Posted by logu_ii