Advice for Personal Digital Security
November 11, 2021 Cyber Security Ed Gardner 0
ArsTechnica’s Sean Gallagher has a two–part article on “securing your digital life.”
It’s pretty good.
SMS About Bank Fraud as a Pretext for Voice Phishing
Most of us have probably heard the term “smishing” — which is a portmanteau for traditional phishing scams sent through SMS text messages. Smishing messages usually include a link to a site that spoofs a popular bank and tries to siphon personal information. But increasingly, phishers are turning to a hybrid form of smishing — blasting out linkless text messages about suspicious bank transfers as a pretext for immediately calling and scamming anyone who responds via text.
Hacking the Sony Playstation 5
I just don’t think it’s possible to create a hack-proof computer system, especially when the system is physically in the hands of the hackers. The Sony Playstation 5 is the latest example:
Hackers may have just made some big strides towards possibly jailbreaking the PlayStation 5 over the weekend, with the hacking group Fail0verflow claiming to have managed to obtain PS5 root keys allowing them to decrypt the console’s firmware.
[…]
The two exploits are particularly notable due to the level of access they theoretically give to the PS5’s software. Decrypted firmware which is possible through Fail0verflow’s keys would potentially allow for hackers to further reverse engineer the PS5 software and potentially develop the sorts of hacks that allowed for things like installing Linux, emulators, or even pirated games on …
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, November 2021 Edition
Microsoft Corp. today released updates to quash at least 55 security bugs in its Windows operating systems and other software. Two of the patches address vulnerabilities that are already being used in active attacks online, and four of the flaws were disclosed publicly before today — potentially giving adversaries a head start in figuring out how to exploit them.
REvil Ransom Arrest, $6M Seizure, and $10M Reward
The U.S. Department of Justice said today it arrested a Ukrainian man who deployed ransomware on behalf of the REvil ransomware gang, a Russian cybercriminal collective that has extorted hundreds of millions from victim organizations. The DOJ also said it had seized $6.1 million in cryptocurrency sent to another REvil affiliate, and that the State Department is now offering up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of any key leaders of REvil.
REvil Ransom Arrest, $6M Seizure, and $10M Reward
The U.S. Department of Justice said today it arrested a Ukrainian man who deployed ransomware on behalf of the REvil ransomware gang, a Russian cybercriminal collective that has extorted hundreds of millions from victim organizations. The DOJ also said it had seized $6.1 million in cryptocurrency sent to another REvil affiliate, and that the State Department is now offering up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of any key leaders of REvil.
Drones Carrying Explosives
We’ve now had an (unsuccessful) assassination attempt by explosive-laden drones.
Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Game Cryptocurrency Was a Scam
The Squid Game cryptocurrency was a complete scam:
The SQUID cryptocurrency peaked at a price of $2,861 before plummeting to $0 around 5:40 a.m. ET., according to the website CoinMarketCap. This kind of theft, commonly called a “rug pull” by crypto investors, happens when the creators of the crypto quickly cash out their coins for real money, draining the liquidity pool from the exchange.
I don’t know why anyone would trust an investment — any investment — that you could buy but not sell.
Wired story.
As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered…
Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Game Cryptocurrency Was a Scam
The Squid Game cryptocurrency was a complete scam:
The SQUID cryptocurrency peaked at a price of $2,861 before plummeting to $0 around 5:40 a.m. ET., according to the website CoinMarketCap. This kind of theft, commonly called a “rug pull” by crypto investors, happens when the creators of the crypto quickly cash out their coins for real money, draining the liquidity pool from the exchange.
I don’t know why anyone would trust an investment — any investment — that you could buy but not sell.
Wired story.
As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered…
‘Tis the Season for the Wayward Package Phish
The holiday shopping season always means big business for phishers, who tend to find increased success this time of year with a time-honored lure about a wayward package that needs redelivery. Here’s a look at a fairly elaborate SMS-based phishing scam that spoofs FedEx in a bid to extract personal and financial information from unwary recipients.