Dark Web Search: Specialized Services Are Still Better
March 26, 2020
Free Dark Web search is a hit-and-miss solution. In fact, “free” Dark Web search is often useless. Some experts do not agree with DarkCyber’s view, however. The reason is that these experts may not be aware of the specialized services available to government agencies and qualified licensees.
Here’s a recent example of cheerleading for a limited Dark Web search system.
A search engine does not exist for the Dark Web, until now says Digital Shadows in the article, “Dark Web Search Engine Kilos: Tipping The Scales InFavor Of Cybercrime.” Back in 2017, there used to be a search engine dubbed Grams that specialized in searching the Dark Web. It was taken down when its creator Larry Harmon, supposed operate of Helix the Bitcoin tumbling service. The Dark Web was search engine free, until November 2019 when Kilos debuted.
Kilos piggy backs on the same concept of Grams: using a Google-like search structure to locate illegal goods and services, bad actors, and cybercriminal marketplaces. Kilos has indexed more platforms, search functions, and includes many ways to ensure that users remain anonymous. Grams and Kilos are clearly linked based on the names that are units of measure.
Grams was the prominent search engine to use for the Dark Web, because it searched every where including Dream Market, Hansa, and AlphaBay and users could also hide their Bitcoin transactions via Helix. Grams did not have a powerful structure to crawl and index the Internet. Also it was expensive to maintain. This resulted in it going dark in 2017.
The argument is that Kilos is killing the Dark Web search scene as a more robust and powerful crawler/indexer. It already has indexed Samsara, Versus, Cannazon, CannaHome, and Cryptonia. Plus it has way more search functions to filter search results. Every day Kilos indexes more of the Dark Web’s content and has a unique feature Grams did not:
“Since the site’s creation in November 2019, the Kilos administrator has not only focused on increasing the site’s index but has also implemented updates and added new features and services to the site. These updates and features ensure the security and anonymity of its users but have also added a human element to the site not previously seen on dark web-based search engines, by allowing direct communication between the administrator and the users, and also between the users themselves.”
Kilos is adding more services to keep its users happy and anonymous. Among the upgrades are a CAPTCHA ranking system, faster search algorithm, a new Bitcoin mixer service, live chat, and ways to directly communicate with the administration.
Reading about Kilos sounds like an impressive search application startup, but wipe away the technology and its another tool to help bad actors hurt and break the system.
So what’s the issue? Kilos focuses on Dark Web storefronts, not the higher-value content in other Dark Web, difficult-to-index content pools.
But PR is PR, even in the Dark Web world.
Whitney Grace, March 26, 2020
Duh Research: Screen Time Dumbs Down Mental Processes
March 26, 2020
Baby Boomers complain that Millennials spend all their time on their phones, the latter complain that the older folks are stuck in their ways ands ruined the world. Generational arguments are tales as old as humanity and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette preaches to the choir, “Screens Encourage Shallow Reading; Here’s How To Dive Deeper.”
Due to the amount of work done digitally, people have developed habits to complete their work quicker. This includes skimming emails, texts, and other reading materials. People have the intention of going back to their reading lists and completing them later, but more work and more reading piles up. The “going back” never happens. Skimming content without fully digesting it or even delving into deeper mental dives does create a reading problem.
Wise reading involves searching for clues, key details, and practicing sequential thinking. If these skills are not used, they wither.
Other schools of thought, however, believe that digital work will not mess with brain functions, but there are disadvantages to digital reading. People comprehend and retain material better when it is printed on paper. It does not matter, though, how content is published it is meant for entertainment.
Digital reading platforms imitate physical books by including “page turns” and removing distractions like ads, while others send the reader encouraging notifications or they are designed like social media platforms.
The way people read has changed and the articles explains that new and old technologies have their own languages. There is a list of suggested habits to practice better reading and screen time:
When you can, pick the right environment.
“For a lot of us, it’s kind of romantic to read in a coffee shop,” Willingham said. “But if you’re doing difficult reading, that may be pretty distracting.”
Then, cut out remaining distractions. Turn off WiFi or even put your phone in airplane mode, Willingham said.
Take breaks. There’s lots of evidence that taking breaks truly refreshes your mind, Willingham said. The best timing for those breaks could vary from person to person.
Don’t use breaks for Instagram and email. “That’s not actually very restful, it’s just a different type of work,” Willingham said. It never hurts to take a walk.
Take mornings or evenings (or both) off-screen. Contemplation and reflection are just as important as the work you’re leaving behind, Wolf said. Get in the habit of bookending your days with an “alternative view of what productivity really needs.””
It is the same advice listed in other similar columns and beats down to: turn off the screen. Screen time is addictive, but it does not make people stupider. It makes them less observant. Moderation is the key to everything, but how often is that taught? Answer? Duh.
Whitney Grace, March 26, 2020
Cloud Search Magic
March 26, 2020
Storing files on the cloud is a marvelous way to back up files and also free up valuable memory on devices. There is one big problem if you offload files on the cloud: finding them. There are various platforms to store files in the cloud, but Popular Science explains in the article “Find Any File In The Cloud” if you are unfamiliar with the platform it will be harder to find files.
The article explores popular cloud hosting platforms and walks readers through how to locate and search for files. The platforms examined are Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and OneDrive. Each specific platform has its intricacies, but are important to master:
“But if you haven’t taken the time to explore a platform in depth, or if you use several and often get confused, you might find it harder to track down particular files compared to having them on a local hard drive. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. All the big cloud storage providers have useful tools for searching through your files and folders, whether you’re using a web browser, a desktop computer, or your phone.”
Be aware that these platforms can change based on the device accessing them. Many devices have mobile and desktop interfaces, so things are changed around if you move from one machine to another. None of these platforms are superior to the other, but users will prefer one to the other based on the type of machine they are using.
Another thing to consider when selecting a platform to use are the security parameters each one uses. The platform could be easy to use, but it also might be easy to hack.
Whitney Grace, March 26, 2020
Contact Tracing: A Tradecraft Component Released as Open Source Software
March 25, 2020
DarkCyber does not want to beat the drum about keeping some information from finding its way into general circulation. We want to point to “Singapore Government to Make Its Contact Tracing App Freely Available to Developers Worldwide.” The article states:
the Government [of Singapore] will be making the software for its contact-tracing application TraceTogether, which has already been installed by more than 620,000 people, freely available to developers around the world.
With the code in open source, those with some technical skill can develop, enhance, expand, and implement some of the features of TraceTogether.
The article points out:
the TraceTogether app can identify people who have been within 2m of coronavirus patients for at least 30 minutes, using wireless Bluetooth technology.
The article includes a how to graphic. The method revealed in the diagram, in the opinion of DarkCyber, seems similar to specialized tools available but in close hold mode for a number of years.
DarkCyber chooses to let the article speak for itself and you, gentle reader, to formulate your own upsides and downsides to the information disclosed by the Straits Times.
Stephen E Arnold, March 25, 2020
Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance with ElasticSearch Inside
March 25, 2020
Open source software is a boon to companies and organizations that cannot afford the steep price tag of proprietary software. Open source, however, does have its drawbacks, including lack of customer support, the software is only as good as its developer, and security issues. PR Web describes how the Department of Defense is getting an overdue search upgrade: “PSSC Labs Launches Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance.”
The Department of Defense relied on Elasticsearch for many digital tasks, including cybersecurity and logistics. Elasticsearch was providing the one and done solution the Department of Defense needed for its advanced workloads. Enter the PSSC Labs with its Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance to the rescue. PSSC Labs designs and builds custom big data and high performance computing solutions. Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance is a new platform powered by Elastic and compatible with Elastic Cloud Enterprise.
The Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance will upgrade the Department of Defense’s system components. It also will not be a huge investment and will be a reasonable upgrade cost. The Department of Defense went with PSSC Labs because:
“ ‘We chose Elasticsearch as the foundation of the platform because it offers the flexibility and simplicity other application packages do not. With Elastic, everything is included in one simple per node price. This means companies can utilize the high-performance Elastic Stack for a variety of workloads including log analysis, cybersecurity, simple distributed storage, geospatial data analysis, and other concepts that are still yet to be discovered,’ said Alex Lesser, PSSC Labs Vice President.”
Other than the reasonable cost and product quality, the Department of Defense selected PSSC Labs’ Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance because it was built on Elastic. Elastic is an open source software, but many proprietary software companies build their own products on free technology. The move to the Daedalus Enterprise Search Appliance should relatively simple as the current Department of Defense system is based on Elasticsearch.
Whitney Grace, March 25, 2020
Want a Line Up of AI-Fueled Cybersecurity Firms?
March 25, 2020
Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity seem like a natural pairing. Check out a list of firms that think so, too, in Built In’s write-up, “30 Companies Merging AI and Cybersecurity to Keep us Safe and Sound.” Reporter Alyssa Schroer explains:
“By the year 2021, cybercrime losses will cost upwards of $6 trillion annually. It’s no surprise, then, that the cybersecurity industry is exploding as it grows to protect the networks and systems on which companies and organizations operate and store data. Because effective information security requires smarter detection, many cybersecurity companies are upping their game by using artificial intelligence to achieve that goal. A new wave of AI-powered solutions and products keep bad actors on their toes while giving IT teams much needed relief. Here are 30 companies merging artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to make the virtual world safer.”
Navigate to the article for the names of all 30 companies. They include well established firms like Symantec, Darktrace, and Fortinet alongside many less familiar names. Several serve specific industries. Schroer lists the location of each entry and describes how it is applying AI tech to cybersecurity. For example, for Shape Security she writes:
“Shape Security provides software that fights imitation attacks like fake accounts, credential stuffing and credit application fraud for businesses in retail, finance, government, tech and travel. Shape’s machine learning models have been given access to data resembling attackers, enabling the system to learn what human activity looks like against fraud. The company’s solutions, Enterprise Defense and Blackfish, use this AI to identify the differences between real and artificial users and then block, redirect or flag the fraudulent source.”
Hacking tools and procedures have become prolific and incredibly efficient. It makes sense to fight them with well-crafted machine learning solutions. Any organization looking to employ one of these (or similar) firms should do its research and choose a well-designed solution that meets its particular needs.
Cynthia Murrell, March 25, 2020
Update for TemaTres, a Taxonomy Tool
March 25, 2020
In order to create and maintain a Web site, database, or other information source, a powerful knowledge management applications needed. There are numerous proprietary knowledge management software on the market, but the problem is often the price tag and solutions are not available out of the box. Open source software is the best way to save money and curate a knowledge management application to your specifications. The question remains: what open source knowledge management software should you download?
One of the top knowledge management software available via open source is TeamTres. TeamTres is described as a:
“Web application for management formal representations of knowledge, thesauri, taxonomies and multilingual vocabularies.”
TemaTres allows users to manage, publish, and share ontologies, taxonomies, thesauri, and glossaries. TemaTres includes numerous features that are designed for the best taxonomy development experience. Among these features are: MARC21 XML Schema, search function, keyword suggestions, user management, multilingual interface, scope notes, relationship visualizations, term reports, terminology mapping, unique code for each term, free terms control, vocabulary harmonization features, no limits on delimiters, integration into web tools, and more.
TemaTres requires programming knowledge to make it functional. Data governance is an important part of knowledge management and it gives editorial control over content. It is an underrated, but valuable tool.
Whitney Grace, March 25, 2020
A Term to Understand: Geofencing
March 25, 2020
DarkCyber has reported in its twice-a-month video news program about companies providing specialized geofencing solutions; for example, our go-to touchstone Geofeedia and others like PredPol. You can find these programs by searching DarkCyber on YouTube or Vimeo.
A news story from a “trusted” source reports “Taiwan’s New Electronic Fence for Quarantines Leads Wave of Virus Monitoring.” The “first” means, DarkCyber assumes, refers to a publicized use of a large-scale geofencing operation applied to numerous citizens.
When you read the story, several questions come to mind which the “trusted” story does not touch upon:
- What vendors provide the geofencing solution in Taiwan and the other countries mentioned in the write up?
- What technologies are used in addition to the latitude, longitude, time stamp data generated by mobile devices connected to or pinging a “network”?
- What additional software systems are used to make sense of the data?
- How long has the infrastructure in Taiwan and the other countries mentioned been in operation?
- What was the ramp up time?
- What was the cost of the system?
- What other applications does the Taiwan system support at this time? In the near future?
- Are special data handling and security procedures required?
News is one thing. Event A happened. Factoids without context leave questions unanswered. Does one trust an absence of information? DarkCyber does. Of course. Obviously.
Stephen E Arnold, March 25, 2020
Mr. Bezos, A 21st Century News Outfit Wants You to Do a Daily Briefing, Just Like a Government Leader
March 24, 2020
I read “It’s Time for a Regular Amazon Daily Coronavirus Briefing.” The title alone is remarkable for two reasons: [a] Amazon is a company talk outputs enormous amounts of information in its blogs, on its Web site, and in its public statements and [b] news organizations are supposed to go and find information, not demand that companies give daily briefings.
What the article demonstrates is that reporting is supposed to be like the second grade. Students show up. A teacher outputs. The student listens, practices, or whatever.
The subtitle to the write up (I am not sure what to call it) asserts:
The company’s distribution network is understandably struggling — and it’s time that Amazon started answering questions about it
It is good to know that a 21st century news outfit can take a parental approach: “Understandably struggling.” Yeah, news flash. Many companies are struggling because employees are falling ill and certain attendant disruptions are amplifying. But “understandably.”
The subtitle also demands, like an old fashioned grade school teacher; for example, “It’s time that Stevie Arnold stops daydreaming in class.” How did that work out? I still daydream, and I am not sure external inputs are going to change me. I had to inform one millennial via a LinkedIn message that I was not looking for a consultant to improve my marketing of my blog. I explained, “Not a chance, gentle millennial.”
What’s the write up “reporting”? Here’s an example:
The company has temporarily stopped taking orders for non-essential items that are shipped through its fulfillment service while it focuses on getting more important items to customers.
The company also suspended Prime Pantry, a service for getting rapid delivery of discounted grocery and household items, amid a surge in demand. And — at the request of local governments — it downgraded the quality of streaming on Prime Video in Europe in an effort to reduce the strain on the internet.
Yep, slower deliveries and downgraded video. News flash: There is a virus problem. That virus is disrupting many things. Next day delivery. Does it matter? Video quality. Why not read a book?
Here’s what the DarkCyber team has noticed about Amazon’s current situation:
- Amazon is undergoing forced change. Change is hard, and in the midst of change, there’s confusion and those on duty may find it difficult to do mission critical things at all.
- Daily briefings are what governments do. Where’s the daily briefing from the hospital supply company in Nashville? No one cares about a daily briefing even from giant companies. Daily briefings, in case the 21st century news outfits have not noticed, are theater.
- Amazon appears to have failed in three critical business functions: Securing its supply chains, maintaining existing services to customers who pay for these services, and managing employees in a way that keeps employees chipper.
My thoughts are:
- Find people who have first hand information about Amazon and talk to these people. This is research; it is difficult and time consuming. But the point is the news has to be found, not delivered like cookies and milk in grade school.
- Adopt an informed approach to assembling verifiable facts. Skip the woulda, shoulda, coulda approach to a write up. The fact is the write up itself reveals that some people are inconvenienced because Amazon cannot deliver something quickly. Wow. One has to exert effort and manage time without Amazon’s “mom” services.
- Provide useful information. That means answering questions like, “What can an Amazon customer do when an order does not arrive?”, “What are the options for obtaining video entertainment?”, “How does one apply for a job at Amazon?” Answers, not complaints, might be helpful, might they not?
Net net: Companies are not eager to be told what to do by people who know zero about a business at a point in time. It is time for “real news” professionals to do old fashioned research, analysis, and reporting in DarkCyber’s opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, March 24, 2020
Facebook: Disappearing Snapchap Content?
March 24, 2020
Ever vigilant Techcrunch published “Instagram Prototypes Snapchat Style Disappearing Text Messages.” The article reports:
Instagram has prototyped an unreleased ephemeral text messaging feature that clears the chat thread whenever you leave it.
The function seems to complement Whatsapp disappearing content.
Will there be unintended consequences of these measures? DarkCyber believes that Facebook has a knack for sparking discussion about its policies, goals, and intentions among some customer segments.
Stephen E Arnold, March 24, 2020
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