Encouragement for Bad Actors: Plenty of Targets Guaranteed
November 2, 2021
If the information in the Silicon Valley-esque business news service Venture Beat is accurate, 2022 is going to be a good year for bad actors. “Report: 55% of Execs Say That SolarWinds Hack Hasn’t Affected Software Purchases.” Now “purchase” is a misleading word. Vendors like users to subscribe, so the revenue projections are less fraught. Subscriptions can be tough to terminate, and paying that bill is like a bad habit, easy to fall into, tough to get out of.
The article states:
According to a recent study by Venalfi, more than half of executives (55%) with responsibility for both security and software development reported that the SolarWinds hack has had little or no impact on the concerns they consider when purchasing software products for their company. Additionally, 69% say their company has not increased the number of security questions they are asking software providers about the processes used to assure software security and verify code.
This statement translates to status quo-ism.
The Microsoft products are targets because Microsoft’s yummy software is widely used and is like a 1980s Toys-R-Us filled with new Teddy bears, battery powered trucks, and role-model dolls.
What’s the fix for escalating cyber attacks? Different business policies and more rigorous security procedures.
To sum up, a potentially big year for bad actors, some of whom practice their craft from prison with a contraband smartphone. The Fancy Bear types will be dancing and some of the APT kids will be wallowing in endless chocolate cake.
Digitally speaking, of course.
Stephen E Arnold, November 2, 2021
DarkCyber for November 2, 2021: Spies, Secrets, AI, and a Robot Dog with a Gun
November 2, 2021
The DarkCyber for November 2, 2021 is now available at this link. This program includes six cyber “bites”. These are short items about spies who hide secrets in peanut butter sandwiches, a drug lord who required 500 troops and 22 helicopters to arrest, where to get the Pandora Papers, a once classified document about autonomous killing policies, a US government Web site described as invasive, and a report about the National Security Agency’s contributions to computer science.
The feature in the cyber news program is a look at the Allen Institute’s Ask Delphi system. The smart software serves up answers to ethical questions. The outputs are interesting and provide an indication of the issues that bright AI engineers will have to address.
The final story provides information about a robot dog. The digital canine is equipped with a weapon which fires a cartridge the size of a hot dog at the World Series snack shop. That’s interesting information, but the “killer” feature is that the robot is its own master. Watch DarkCyber to learn the trick this machine can perform.
DarkCyber is produced by Stephen E Arnold. The video contains no advertising and the stories are not subsidized. The video is available at www.arnoldit.com/wordpress or at https://youtu.be/Y24vJetf5eY.
Kenny Toth, November 2, 2021
Rogue in Vogue: What Can Happen When Specialized Software Becomes Available
October 25, 2021
I read “New York Times Journalist Ben Hubbard Hacked with Pegasus after Reporting on Previous Hacking Attempts.” I have no idea if the story is true or recounted accurately. The main point strikes me that a person or group allegedly used the NSO Group tools to compromise the mobile of a journalist.
The article concludes:
Hubbard was repeatedly subjected to targeted hacking with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware. The hacking took place after the very public reporting in 2020 by Hubbard and the Citizen Lab that he had been a target. The case starkly illustrates the dissonance between NSO Group’s stated concerns for human rights and oversight, and the reality: it appears that no effective steps were taken by the company to prevent the repeated targeting of a prominent American journalist’s phone.
The write up makes clear one point I have commented upon in the past; that is, making specialized software and systems available without meaningful controls creates opportunities for problematic activity.
When specialized technology is developed using expertise and sometimes money and staff of nation states, making these tools widely available means a loss of control.
As access and knowledge of specialized tool systems and methods diffuses, it becomes easier and easier to use specialized technology for purposes for which the innovations were not intended.
Now bad actors, introductory programming classes in many countries, individuals with agendas different from those of their employer, disgruntled software engineers, and probably a couple of old time programmers with a laptop in an elder care facility can:
- Engage in Crime as a Service
- Use a bot to poison data sources
- Access a target’s mobile device
- Conduct surveillance operations
- Embed obfuscated code in open source software components.
If the cited article is not accurate, it provides sufficient information to surface and publicize interesting ideas. If the write up is accurate, the control mechanisms in the countries actively developing and licensing specialized software are not effective in preventing misuse. For cloud services, the controls should be easier to apply.
Is every company, every nation, and every technology savvy individual a rogue? I hope not.
Stephen E Arnold, October 25, 2021
DarkCyber for October 19, 2021: DDoS Takedown, More NSO Group PR, VPN Shift, and Autonomous Kills
October 19, 2021
DarkCyber reports about cyber security, online services, and smart software. You can view this program at this url.
This edition of the program includes four stories:
- The US Department of Justice terminated 15 Internet domains involved in denial of service functions. These offered crime as a service and allowed customers to launch DDoS attacks with minimal technical expertise.
- The NSO Group captured headlines again. The result of revelations in a British legal proceeding resulted in the Israeli specialized services firm firing one of its Middle Eastern clients.
- Roll ups are popular among some financial experts. Aggregation means less competition and greater market reach. Consolidation is underway in the virtual private network sector. Will Kape Technology’s acquisition of Private Internet Access and Express VPN produce benefits for customers?
- The final story explores the most innovative facet of Israel’s alleged autonomous termination of a nuclear scientist. The smart software is just part of the story.
DarkCyber is produced by Stephen E Arnold, publisher of Beyond Search.
Kenny Toth, October 19, 2021
Key Words: Useful Things
October 7, 2021
In the middle of nowhere in the American southwest, lunch time conversation turned to surveillance. I mentioned a couple of characteristics of modern smartphones, butjec people put down their sandwiches. I changed the subject. Later, when a wispy LTE signal permitted, I read “Google Is Giving Data to Police Based on Search Keywords, Court Docs Show.” This is an example of information which I don’t think should be made public.
The write up states:
Court documents showed that Google provided the IP addresses of people who searched for the arson victim’s address, which investigators tied to a phone number belonging to Williams. Police then used the phone number records to pinpoint the location of Williams’ device near the arson, according to court documents.
I want to point out that any string could contain actionable information; to wit:
- The name or abbreviation of a chemical substance
- An address of an entity
- A slang term for a controlled substance
- A specific geographic area or a latitude and longitude designation on a Google map.
With data federation and cross correlation, some specialized software systems can knit together disparate items of information in a useful manner.
The data and the analytic tools are essential for some government activities. Careless release of such sensitive information has unanticipated downstream consequences. Old fashioned secrecy has some upsides in my opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, October 7, 2021
The Darknet: a Dangerous Place
October 6, 2021
Criminal activity on the Darknet is growing and evolving. One person who has taken it on themselves to study the shadow realm shares some of their experiences and observations with reporter Vilius Petkauskas in, “Darknet Researcher: They Said They’ll Come and Kill Me—Interview” at CyberNews. The anonymous interviewee, who works with research firm DarkOwl, describes a threat to their life, one serious enough to prompt them to physically move their family to a new home. They state:
“There was one specific criminal actor I was going after, trying to figure out where they were operating, who they were involved with, what groups they were affiliated with. I became a target. They turned on me and said, we will find whoever wrote this and come kill them. We will destroy them.”
Yes, poking around the Darknet can be dangerous business. What sorts of insights has our brave explorer found? Recently, there has been a substantial uptick in ransomware, and for good reason. The researcher explains:
“Look at ransomware as a service (RaaS). First and second-generation ransomware lockers were developed by incredibly smart malware developers, cryptologists, and encryption specialists. Those who designed and employed such software were some of the most sophisticated malware developers or ‘elite’ hackers around if you want to label them that. But with the RaaS affiliate model, they’re giving others the chance to ‘rent’ ransomware for as little as a few hundred bucks a year, depending on which strain they’re using. Anyone interested in getting into the business of ransomware can enter the market without necessarily having any prior or expert knowledge of how to conduct an enterprise-level attack against a network. Some of the gangs, like Lockbit 2.0 are nearly entirely automated, and their affiliates don’t need to have the slightest clue what they’re doing. You just push, plug, and play. Identify the victim, drop it onto the network, and the rest is taken care of.”
How convenient. Getting into the target’s network, though, is another matter. For that criminals turn to
initial access brokers (IABs), also located on the Darknet, who help breach networks through vulnerabilities, leaked credentials, and other weaknesses. See the write-up for more of the researchers hard-won observations. They close with this warning—there is more going on here than opportunists looking to make a buck. Espionage and cyber terrorism are also likely involved, they say. We cannot say we are surprised.
Cynthia Murrell, October 6, 2021
Bad Apps: Will There Be a YouTube Video?
September 30, 2021
I read “Fraudulent Mobile Apps Growing in Numbers.” This is another “Who knew?” write up. After app removals, malware app, and apps that phone home, suddenly “real” news. The write up states:
A new report from payment fraud protection specialists Outseer claims that out of all fraudulent attacks that happened in Q2 2021 (of which there were more than 49,000), rogue mobile apps accounted for almost a third (30%).
I like that: Outseer. Very similar to Outsell. I don’t understand that name either.
How does mobile app fraud work? Here’s the explanation:
The process is relatively simple. Fraudsters would create an app that looks almost identical to a genuine mobile app belonging to a bank, and have it placed on a mobile app store (or distribute it via its website, email, or any other means).
Interested in crating a mobile app? There are a number of sites which allow a person to create a mobile app with no coding required. To make it “mal,” more work is required. Microsoft Github has examples to help you on your quest.
News? Nope.
Stephen E Arnold, September 30, 2021
How Much Growth in Ransomware in 12 Weeks? A Lot
September 30, 2021
I read “Security Experts Witnessed a 55,239% Increase in Ransomware Activity in Q2.” Now that’s a nifty percentage. Not even the Google nails 12 week figures like that one. I learned:
In Q2 2021, Nuspire security experts witnessed a 55,239% increase in ransomware activity just a few weeks prior to the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware attack conducted by DarkSide Ransomware group. The reason for the increase is not known and it may not be related to Colonial Pipeline, but one can speculate that the increase could be from the same campaign with Colonial Pipeline.
Hmmm.
Other items of note are:
- Malware up
- Microsoft software involved
- Botnets less popular due to enforcement activity.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2021
DarkCyber for September 21, 2021 Now Available
September 21, 2021
DarkCyber for September 21, 2021, reports about the Dark Web, cyber crime, and lesser known Internet services. The program is produced every two weeks. This is the 19th show of 2021. There are no sponsored stories nor advertisements. The program provides basic information about subjects which may not have been given attention in other forums. The program is available at this link.
This week’s program includes five stories.
First, we provide information about two online services which offer content related to nuclear weapons. Neither source has been updated for a number of months. If you have an interest in this subject, you may want to examine the information in the event it is disappeared.
Second, you will learn about Spyfone. DarkCyber’s approach is to raise the question, “What happens when specialized software once considered “secret” by some nation states becomes available to consumers.
Third, China has demonstrated its control of certain online companies; for example, Apple. The country can cause certain applications to be removed from online stores. The argument is that large US companies, like a French bulldog, must be trained in order stay in the Middle Kingdom.
Fourth, we offer two short items about malware delivered in interesting ways. The first technique is put malicious code in a video card’s graphics processing unit. The second summarizes how “free” games have become a vector for compromising network security.
The final story reports that a Russian manufacturer of drones is taking advantage of a relaxed policy toward weapons export. The Russian firm will produce Predator-like drones in countries which purchase the unmanned aerial vehicles. The technology includes 3D printing, specialized software, and other advanced manufacturing techniques. The program includes information about they type of kinetic weapons these drones can launch.
DarkCyber is produced by Stephen E Arnold and his DarkCyber research team. You can download the program from the Beyond Search blog or from YouTube.
Kenny Toth, September 21, 2021
DarkCyber for September 7, 2021 Now Available
September 7, 2021
DarkCyber is a twice-a-month video news program about the Dark Web, cyber crime, and lesser known Internet services. Program 18 includes stories about China’s information war fighting. The program explains three services which allow anyone to find the individual to which a US license plate has been registered. Crypto currency for criminal activities is playing a larger and larger role in illegal activities. How can you determine the level of risk associated with a particular digital currency transaction. DarkCyber points to a service which provides extremely useful information. The US government has released yet another report about facial recognition. Learn the three systems which are relied upon by several US government entities. There’s a great deal of chatter about nation stations which are sponsoring cyber attacks on the US. These stories often overlook the ease with which an insider can be instrumental in providing access to an allegedly secure network. And, finally, we explain how the Hellfire missile equipped with fragmenting blades has sliced and diced its way into Afghani history. DarkCyber is a production of Stephen E Arnold. The program appears every two weeks. This week’s program is available on the Beyond Search blog and on YouTube.
Kenny Toth, September 7, 2021
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
