Tag: hacker

Attack of the cables

September 23, 2021 /

In last week’s article, I spent some time discussing the disadvantages of penetration testing. The main limiting factor for every red team is the client’s engagement policy. Usually, it is not comparable to a real-life attack. However, at the same time, some of the latest developments in the field are pretty disturbing and could be used by hackers for malicious activities.

One such gadget manufactured by Hak5 looks like an ordinary USB charging/data cable, but it comes equipped with the latest keylogging capabilities. Additionally, the cable supports the following features – Keystroke Injection with DuckyScript™, Keylogging (650,000 key storage), USB-C Smartphone & Tablet Keystroke Injection, Remote Access by WiFi, Customizable Self-Destruct, Multiple storage slots for large payloads, On-Boot payloads, Remote Trigger by WiFi (Geofencing), Long Range WiFi Trigger (2 KM+), Control from any Web Browser and Scriptable WebSocket. In short, that cable is a fully working micro-computer with remote access capabilities for loading payloads and executing them without the victim’s knowledge. As a bonus, it looks exactly like the standard USB to USB-C cable. They either offer versions for Macs.

A creative attacker can think of many uses of these cables. For example, they could ask you to lend them your cable and switch it with the malicious one. They can break into your home/office and swap the cables. They can load the whole supply of a computer shop with these cables and sell you one. The options are almost limitless. With that gadget, you virtually can not trust any cable or flash drive you buy from your hardware equipment supplier, neither your friends nor your family’s equipment.

On the diagram, you can see a sample diagram of how the cable works. It simply cheats the computer using it that it is an ordinary cable. Meanwhile, the hacker sends the payload using Wi-Fi and activates it

We could imagine that the next step for companies such as Hak5 is to embed a fully blown ADB build into the cable and enable remote penetration attacks versus smartphone devices. Such cable will be quite an exciting gadget and could encourage even more attack scenarios.

I have wondered why such equipment is not treated the same way as weapons for a long time. The relative easiness of manufacture and use of such gadgets make them more and more dangerous. Without regulations or even government-based permissions, more and more people will have access to them. What is the guarantee that they will not end in the hands of black hat hackers or criminals? Not to mention that every white or gray hat hacker could potentially go rogue and become a black one. What is the guarantee that such gadgets will not be used for malicious purposes even by licensed professionals?

In conclusion, penetration testing’s land space has become more and more concerning. Without a good set of regulations, we could soon see many people using military-grade hacking gadgets, turning the defensive part of cybersecurity into a terrible nightmare. In any case, many defenders will not be fascinated by the idea of wrapping their USB cables and flash drives with aluminum tape[1] every time they buy new hardware. Sure, it is a cheap way of blocking radio waves, but the aesthetics will not be on a high level.

[1] – https://emfacademy.com/aluminum-foil-emf-radiation/

How much damage can one hacker cause to a team of cyber security specialists?

June 17, 2021 /

Cybersecurity has an asymmetric nature. Usually, hacking groups do not have the resources of their targets, or the targets do not have the proper qualification to defend themselves. Now, let’s discuss the one compelling case of a hacker who managed to DDoS companies such as Microsoft and Sony.

He started hacking at the age of sixteen when he developed a Titanium Stresser program that was enough to carry out around 1.7 million attacks. With this program, he got the websites of Microsoft, Minecraft, TeamSpeak, and Xbox Live and earned £386,000 in US dollars. Along with that, he made some bitcoins by selling hacked programs on the Dark web.

The hacker turned 20 until the proceedings of the court continued. He received an accusation of causing losses to schools and colleges by hijacking their local networks. The initial investigation showed that he was also responsible for personally attacking 594 IP addresses through Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) between 2013 and 2015.

On the diagram, you can see a standard DDoS attack system architecture. The hacker usually has a control server for orchestrating the whole botnet attack.

Later on, the court revealed that the hacker was not alone in his hacking. His program had around 112,000 registered users in a kind of vDoS service, and they collectively hacked over 660,000 IP addresses. He put some clever schemes for gaining users fast, like inviting a friend. Many of these attacks were based in the United Kingdom. One notorious attack was on Runescape. The owner of the company had to protect the website by spending around six million euros.

During the hearing, the hacker’s lawyer tried to justify his stance by saying that his medical condition (a form of autism) was not mild enough to understand between wrong and right. Additionally, the lawyer pled that the hacker was in the gaming community but was not good enough and wanted to make him higher.

Now, I see it quite interesting how a 16 years old kid managed to invent a vDoS service and make over 112,000 people register to this service to attack different services across the World. It is a beautiful case of how asymmetric is the nature of hacking. Despite his lack of resources, he managed to build a botnet network of over 112 000 machines. And all of this without any hacking activity towards the registered users. Let’s take that the average Internet speed is around 50 megabits. The total capacity of the botnet is about 600 gigabits of bandwidth. And all of this done by one single guy.

In conclusion, we have to be happy there are no more hackers such as this one. Most of the hackers are for the money. However, this boy managed to DDoS companies with millions of dollars for a cybersecurity budget. And all of this just for fun. Imagine what could happen in case most of the criminals have similar to his mind.

Are hackers used in guerilla warfare?

June 3, 2021 /

Once the top interest of the state was its national integrity and the protection of its borders, that no more seem like the top priority with the rise of globalization. The world has now turned into a global village, and everyone is interconnected. We no longer base the international policy on the principle of expansionism but more on soft and indirect interventions. Cyber-attacks have become very common these days to steal sensitive data or block a critical infrastructure of any country by targeting its vital computer systems. State governments sponsor part of these cyber-attacks to penetrate rival states. Criminals execute another piece for the sake of financial gains.

State-Sponsored Cyber Soldiers:

Despite having conventional solid militaries, many countries are putting efforts into arranging training programs for cyber soldiers who are getting themselves ready for cyber warfare. They are picking up the best people from network exploitation, malware, or firmware reverse engineering. It is essential to understand that cyber warfare usually has asymmetric nature. A small unit attacks a relatively bigger target in terms of resources. That’s the reason these people receive additional training in guerilla warfare by top military specialists.

On the diagram, you can see how different hacker cells secure themselves during different types of communication. Security during operations and internal group communications is with the highest guarantee.

Everyone is welcome to the party:

Almost every country now has a position regarding cybersecurity. And every country confirms that it has or wants to have highly developed cyber warfare systems. Although most countries are strictly against the use of military cyber systems to access the sensitive data of any other country, they keep on developing their cybersecurity platforms. An analysis of cyber capabilities of one relatively big country from 2009 to 2015 showed seven major cyberattacks origin from it. The hacker group tried to hack everything, starting from simple data theft from technological companies to hacking a Personnel Management office of a government agency.

Unofficial cyber attacks:

Not all cyber attacks are for getting to know the secrets of other nations. Sometimes cyber attacks are used to gain access to critical infrastructure and gain leverage during war actions. Cybersecurity is vital during these wartime operations, keeping in mind that now almost everything is digital and modern armies use more and more information systems to increase their efficiency on the battlefield. 

There are several other examples where unaffiliated groups were involved in violating cyberspace. Most cases even show that the state government is well aware of these groups but does not act against them. These attacks bring betterment for the state, so as long as they benefit the government, it does not interfere in their matters but even shields the hacker groups. If they use their skills to steal money, the money comes to the home state, which is beneficial for state economics. That is why governments often allow such hackings in their territory. 

Many unofficial and unethical cybercriminals are the silent pupils of state-sponsored cyber actors. They learn the tricks from the big boys but use them for other malicious reasons and financial gains. It is essential to understand that these days everyone is a target. Especially having in mind that many states manufacture and use military-grade malware. Later this malware can be recycled by criminals and used versus non-state level organizations or even small and medium businesses. 

Simple Ways to Ensure Your Children’s Safety Online

April 29, 2021 /

Today, cybercrime is rampant. That presents a unique problem to parents in deciding how to approach ‘online safety’ with their children.

In the World, about 4000 cybercrime attacks occur each day, and, in fact, every 32 seconds, a hacker attacks someone online. To use the Internet safely and securely, you must know what to do and not do and distinguish between safe and unsafe.

Awareness and personal responsibility are vital components in surfing the web safely. Children should become aware of that as soon as possible.

Child-proofing the Internet is not as viable an option as some parents may hope it is. Yes, there are ways to block websites, keeping your children off of them. But it’s still preferable to educate them on the dangers the web presents.

Teach them how to keep themselves safe online. That includes what sites to avoid, links not to click, files not to download, emails to ignore, and so on. Education on the topic of cybercrime is a must.

Above all, children must learn against sharing personal information of any kind. Teach them young that giving out your full name, phone number, home address through any medium (email, Facebook, gaming platforms) is wrong.

Teach them to be cautious. Sometimes a string of innocent-seeming questions may pose a grave danger. It can start with your name, where you go to school, your postcode, and the child might not realize the escalation. Ensure it can recognize it.

As a parent, you must always keep your devices up to date with security installed on them – antivirus programs, anti-malware software, and other security software. Create unique passwords for your different accounts, and teach your children to do the same. Or use passwordless based authentication.

There are varying parenting styles. Some deem the act of monitoring their child’s online activity as an intrusion of privacy. Others perceive it as a given. Regardless of your parental views, it’s good to keep aware of what your child does on the Internet and encourage appropriate behaviors while discouraging inappropriate ones.

On the diagram, you can see a standard hacking workflow. Usually, hackers use this workflow to execute attacks. You can see that the first stage of attacks usually involves message-based fraud or social engineering.

‘Stranger danger’ has evolved beyond an in-person possibility of peril. It now lurks online, as well. Teach your children that not all online strangers are friendships waiting to happen – some are dangerous and look to cause mayhem and harm, i.e., hackers.

Make sure children realize that what goes on on the Internet stays on the Internet. If they upload a picture, it will forever be there. If they share their private details, they cannot merely ‘take them back.’

There are consequences to interacting with the web, and it’s your responsibility as a parent to teach them that valuable lesson.

In summary:

  • Stay updated: Always install updates when needed, and ensure your devices are protected.
  • Do not overshare: Be wary of sharing private details with people online. Sharing personal information can backfire. Ensure your children know this.
  •  Have a conversation with your child: Explain the many dangers that lurk online. Yes, children may be won’t ‘get it’ right away. But if that’s the case, talk to them again. 
  •  Use unique passwords: Ensure your child knows the importance of a strong password and the perils of using the same one for every account.
  • Keep an eye on their online activities: Be sure to monitor your child’s online activities to the extent that you know what they’re ‘up to’ online. Still, over monitoring is not good, so please use it carefully.

Educate your children, and make sure they know of the dangers the Internet presents and what they can do to minimize them

The rise of data leaks

April 8, 2021 /

We are living in internet-reliant times. Everyone outsources and shifts aspects of their lives to online sources like social media, dating apps, and online workplaces and educational websites. With COVID-19 forcing us to emphasize online activities, the possibilities for data leaks are ever-growing.

Data leakage incidents are not always intentional, though most of the time, they are. Phishing attacks or malware sent via email and links are just some common examples. Both have high success rates, and once the malware is successfully installed on a device, leaking data is very easy. Private user information, including addresses, phone numbers, and more sensitive data like credit card numbers or passwords, are worth millions of dollars on the market.

845 GB of Data Leaked!

Recent examples showing the extent of leaked data in 2020 alone seem astonishing. Just a few weeks ago, nine dating apps leaked 845 GB of data. It may not sound a lot, but in fact, the leakage comprised private information of a few hundred thousand users. The leak includes explicit photos and messages that people would likely have instead kept confidential.

 Independent security researchers discovered the security breach for all affected websites.

The most shocking part of their discovery is that not a hacker was responsible for the leak but the companies themselves due to their careless configuration of the apps.

A standard workflow of data exfiltration. The hacker finds a way to infiltrate into the company infrastructure and after that uses other already hacked infrastructure to exfiltrate the data.

These websites and apps are mostly unknown, but data leaks can also happen to popular websites with millions of user account information leaked and stolen.

Big or Small – You’re Not Safe From Leaks

In 2014, a prominent commercial website’s entire user account list was leaked, with 145 million people affected. Users had to change their passwords as a consequence.

In 2012, a big social media website became a target, and 165 million business professionals’ data was readily available for sale. All users changed their passwords as well.

Other cases did not proceed as mildly. Big design software company in 2013 asked to pay their users 1.1 million dollars in compensation after credit card records and password leakage.

In 2021, the risk of data leakage is higher than at any time before; there have been numerous data breaches already, including major companies, universities, and cybersecurity providers. 

In October 2020 alone, there were 117 data breaches, the highest number recorded for a single month. Fortunately, only about 18 million user information leaked, less than the yearly running total of compromised data records of 19.5 billion. The most breached sectors were healthcare and health science, education, and the public sector.

All of these numbers show that the protection of one’s data in a time where everyone has an online presence is crucial. With COVID-19 inevitably shifting our lives towards online resources, it is up to us to take the necessary measures to protect our private information.