A Facebook conman has been posting women's photos on porn sites after breaking into their accounts, in an incident that underscores the need for greater awareness of social networking security.
Timothy Noirjean, 26-years-old, was arrested in his parents' Minnesota basement today for stealing and illegally posting Facebook photos of 13 young women on porn sites.
Noirjean says he didn't know hacking into 100 Facebook accounts was a crime.
Police tracked down Noirjean after a 20-year-old woman filed a complaint saying she was instant messaging with someone she thought was a friend when her account password was suddenly changed. After managing to log in again, she discovered links to a sexually explicit website that contained three photos of her.
Noirjean explained that he accessed the woman's and others' accounts by friending them on Facebook, obtaining their e-mail addresses, and then subtly persuading them to give him answers to their security questions. Noirjean created a new password to their account with this information and stole private photos from there to post on porn sites.
Timothy Noirjean, 26-years-old, was arrested in his parents' Minnesota basement today for stealing and illegally posting Facebook photos of 13 young women on porn sites. Noirjean says he didn't know hacking into 100 Facebook accounts was a crime.
Police tracked down Noirjean after a 20-year-old woman filed a complaint saying she was instant messaging with someone she thought was a friend when her account password was suddenly changed. After managing to log in again, she discovered links to a sexually explicit website that contained three photos of her.
Noirjean explained that he accessed the woman's and others' accounts by friending them on Facebook, obtaining their e-mail addresses, and then subtly persuading them to give him answers to their security questions. Noirjean created a new password to their account with this information and stole private photos from there to post on porn sites.
Ironically, this incident follows Facebook's recent security updates designed to help users report misuse, like online bullying or inappropriate posts, on the site.
One update asks users for a code each time they log in from a new device, which would have foiled Noirjean's scam, but the security features are optional and like most people, the women hadn't opted-in.
To protect your account from being hacked, be familiar with Facebook's privacy settings and change your password often. Also don't give away answers to your security questions over instant messaging and never click on untrusted links, even if they appear to be from friends.
Timothy Noirjean, 26-years-old, was arrested in his parents' Minnesota basement today for stealing and illegally posting Facebook photos of 13 young women on porn sites.
Noirjean says he didn't know hacking into 100 Facebook accounts was a crime.
Police tracked down Noirjean after a 20-year-old woman filed a complaint saying she was instant messaging with someone she thought was a friend when her account password was suddenly changed. After managing to log in again, she discovered links to a sexually explicit website that contained three photos of her.
Noirjean explained that he accessed the woman's and others' accounts by friending them on Facebook, obtaining their e-mail addresses, and then subtly persuading them to give him answers to their security questions. Noirjean created a new password to their account with this information and stole private photos from there to post on porn sites.
Timothy Noirjean, 26-years-old, was arrested in his parents' Minnesota basement today for stealing and illegally posting Facebook photos of 13 young women on porn sites. Noirjean says he didn't know hacking into 100 Facebook accounts was a crime.
Police tracked down Noirjean after a 20-year-old woman filed a complaint saying she was instant messaging with someone she thought was a friend when her account password was suddenly changed. After managing to log in again, she discovered links to a sexually explicit website that contained three photos of her.
Noirjean explained that he accessed the woman's and others' accounts by friending them on Facebook, obtaining their e-mail addresses, and then subtly persuading them to give him answers to their security questions. Noirjean created a new password to their account with this information and stole private photos from there to post on porn sites.
Ironically, this incident follows Facebook's recent security updates designed to help users report misuse, like online bullying or inappropriate posts, on the site.
One update asks users for a code each time they log in from a new device, which would have foiled Noirjean's scam, but the security features are optional and like most people, the women hadn't opted-in.
To protect your account from being hacked, be familiar with Facebook's privacy settings and change your password often. Also don't give away answers to your security questions over instant messaging and never click on untrusted links, even if they appear to be from friends.
Noirjean has been charged with 13 counts of identity theft.
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