Hi all.
You may have noticed I’ve been absent here. There’s a reason.
Facebook Sessions (Android) → Google Sessions (Some Android ONLY and Some Knox Secure Folder ONLY) → Firefox Passwords (Knox Secure Folder ONLY) → Hetzner Distribution/Build Servers for ubdist/OS → PayPal Attempted Abuse
This lateral migration began right after the Florida Pimax Crystal roadshow, literally the day I flew back to Austin TX, early December, 2022 last year. First began with the Facebook app having access to Google sessions (for advertising purposes, whoop de do), then exploited password information that was only really exposed to the Firefox browser on my phone within Knox secure folder. There isn’t another logical explanation except seemingly less likely physical (ie. BadUSB) attack on my PC at the Florida Pimax Crystal roadshow. Known CVEs regarding both Android and Knox during late 2022 account for this breach. Logs showing session hijacking of some accounts, and password misuse of others, are unambiguous about what information the hackers obtained.
From that initial breach of information, the abuse began with posting the worst imaginable illegal content (about a third of it an apparent terrorist claim of responsibility) to deface and provoke Facebook, slowly escalating to attempting further hacking both through Google ads and by abusing the very servers I depended on for everything I do, over a period of months. The apparent PayPal abuse attempt was more recent, just within the last few months.
So this has been going on for about a year now, during which time the 3D Printer startup company I work with has been very severely affected, I’ve been both terminated, and brought back on board with that company months later. Two changes of addresses have not helped clearing out the resulting backlog of government paperwork, and getting up to date in-state IDs to Facebook.
Ultimately, I only managed to lock down all essential accounts from fresh safe computers with software built entirely in GitHub actions and written to read-only optical disc, just within the last few weeks.
Still haven’t been able to get my VR software stack going again - the old computer is sitting in the corner of my crowded office (in quarantine, suspected of possible firmware level persistent infection).
Why does this matter now?
Well after Instagram finally made it possible to enable strong 2FA, and with my Oculus account that I used to get warranty support to get Facebook to respond at all, going away, having linked and locked down everything about a week ago, I get this.
I don’t believe my account was hacked again. For one thing, this time, both the accounts and recovery mechanisms were accountable to Yubikeys (ie. Google Advanced Protection and other such), and none of the computers used for any other 2FA were even connected to the same network, nor have I stored any 2FA information on computers.
Facebook had trouble last year with giving me repeat notices about acceptable use, long after their month of concluding their investigation and unlocking my accounts with them.
AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR, FACEBOOK IS STILL LOCKING UP MY ACCOUNTS.
Think folks, do you really want your connections to your friends and your VR life at the mercy of the big tech company with the most marginal business, the MOST DESPERATE FOR MORE ‘PLATFORM DECAY’?
I haven’t seen Facebook/Instagram/Oculus/Meta, contribute anything other than holding back and rolling back VR tech. After a year of this, it’s hard for me to see how the ‘Meta’ oversight board isn’t just total whitewashing of how little they care about any of their customers (I say that having been on the small business advertising side as well with 3D Connected Printing).
Meta… hmm, what word might I be looking for here?
But yeah things can get bad. Anyway, sorry to hear, must have been a real ordeal to sort things out with FB. I hate that company with a passion.