- Cybernews Finds Abceed App Exposed 46 Million Files Through Misconfigured Google Cloud Repository
- The leak includes 10 TB of private audio recordings of 5 million users who practice English
- Researchers warn voice data could fuel vishing, voice cloning and scams like virtual hijacking
A popular English learning app in Japan has reportedly exposed sensitive data of millions of people, putting them at risk of identity theft, phishing and other forms of fraud.
security researchers in cyber news It recently discovered a misconfigured Google Cloud Storage bucket with over 46 million files, most of which were private audio recordings of users practicing their English skills through the ‘Abceed’ app.
With a user base of around five million, Abceed is a well-known and popular app, partnering with companies like Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, TMS Entertainment, and a major textbook publisher called Sanseido. It is also supposedly backed by schools and large corporations, making it the preferred app for learning English in the country.
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Why voice files are important
The exposed database contained almost 10 TB of user data, mostly people practicing English and pronouncing different words. While this doesn’t seem like a big violation, cyber news points out that this could be a gold mine for cybercriminals:
“Malicious actors could abuse a dataset of leaked recordings to create phishing campaigns. They can use voice cloning technologies in conjunction with vishing, imitating the voices of co-workers, friends or family,” the research team said. “It can also be used to create characters where ethnicity and inexperience in speaking English can become a compelling factor for sextortion or ‘pig butcher’ scams.”
The technique may be new, but we have already seen it in action. Security researchers have already coined the term “virtual kidnapping” and we have seen reports of people paying ransom demands after thinking their children had been kidnapped.
One way to defend yourself against these attacks is to create a “safe phrase,” a password that only your closest family members know. That way, when someone claims to have kidnapped your partner, if you don’t know the safe phrase, you can rest easy knowing it’s just a scam.
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