InfoSec Daily Podcast Episode 579 for January 27, 2012. Tonight's podcast is hosted by Rick Hayes, Boris Sverdlik, Karthik Rangarajan, Geordy Rostad, and Dr. Bonez.
Announcements:
Unsung Heros
Have you ever stumbled on a tool and wondered “Why didn’t I know this existed!” or “If only I’d had this last week on that test”… Chris John Riley has started to gather suggestions for your “unsung hero” of the tools world. He is looking specifically to gather a list of tools that aren’t on every penetration testers, or forensic investigators list, but that you have respect for. http://blog.c22.cc/2012/01/13/unsung-heros
Information Security Blogger Awards 2012
Since we were over looked again for the Best Podcast on Security you can email ashimmy@hotmail.com with your name, email address and ISD Podcast as your write-in nominee. Please note, you have to provide your blog or podcast URL so that it can be verified that you are a blogger or podcaster. Vote for your favorite blogs as well on http://www.ashimmy.com.
Brad Smith (theNurse)
We all know and love Brad Smith, aka theNurse. His humor and smiling positivity is a wonderful example for our community. At Hacker Halted he had a massive stroke and has been in the hospital ever since.
Brad and his wife did not ask for this help, but as a community we feel that if we can help we want to. Please feel free to check in for status or to donate. Either way we thank you and I know Brad thanks your for your support, prayers and positive thoughts.
http://www.social-engineer.org/brad-smith-updates/
http://www.social-engineer.org/bradsmithdonation/
Schmoocon Epilogue
When: After Schmoocon
Where: Washington, DC
Hit up anyone in NOVA Hackers
Metasploit Framework Unleashed Cincinnati
When: February 11, 2012.
Where: Digitorium in Griffin Hall, the home of Northern Kentucky University’s College of Informatics
https://msfucincy.wordpress.com/
$20 donation for #HFC
Social Engineering Training
When: March 5-9, 2012
Where: Seattle, Washington
When: July 21-24, 2012
Where: Black Hat Vegas
When: August 20-24, 2012
Where: Bristol, UK
When: November 12-16, 2012
Where: Columbia, MD
http://www.social-engineer.com/social-engineer-training
Linuxfest Northwest 2012
When: Saturday, April 28th-29th, 2012
Where: Bellingham Technical College – Bellingham, WA
http://www.linuxfestnorthwest.org/
CFP now open!
AIDE 2012
When: May 21-25, 2012
Where: MU Forensic Science Center
Huntington, West Virginia
http://aide.marshall.edu
CFP now open!
LayerOne 2012
When: May 26-27, 2012
Where: Clarion Hotel – Anaheim, CA
http://www.layerone.org
CFP now open!
DerbyCon 2012 – "The Reunion"
When: September 27-30, 2012
Where: Louisville, KY
http://www.derbycon.com
Thanks to everyone that has purchased products from Amazon through the affiliate program. If you’re not familiar with the affiliate program, simply go to http://www.isdpodcast.com and locate the Affiliate Program link on the right hand side.
Stories
Source: https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-users-plan-to-sue-the-fbi-over-lost-files-120126/
In most reports following the MegaUpload shutdown, the site is exclusively portrayed as a piracy haven.
However, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people used the site to share research data, work documents, personal video collections.
As of today, these people are still unsure whether they will ever get their personal belongings back.
In a response, Pirate Parties worldwide have started to make a list of all the people affected by the raids, and they are planning to file an official complaint against the US authorities.
“The widespread damage caused by the sudden closure of Megaupload is unjustified and completely disproportionate to the aim intended,” they announce.
“For this reason Pirates of Catalonia, in collaboration with Pirate Parties International and other Pirate Parties, have begun investigating these potential breaches of law and will facilitate submission of complaints against the US authorities in as many countries as possible, to ensure a positive and just result.”
…
Source: https://billmullins.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/googles-new-policy-whats-the-problem-why-the-outrage/
As a long standing vocal opponent of Google’s invasive practices – and, having not stood on the sideline as the Octopus spread its tentacles – I now find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending the indefensible – those same overreaching and invasive practices.
In yesterday’s presumptuous announcement, Google explained its new policy – with just the right amount of deceptive glitter - a customer care focus.
Our new policy reflects a single product experience that does what you need, when you want it to – ……. reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.
A bit of a twist on reality, I should think.
The reality being of course – Google has always viewed you as the product – not, the customer. Yes, you the user – are a product. The customers (no, not you), are the companies that buy the targeted advertising that is directed to you. It’s hardly news that Google generates its revenue through targeted advertising – directed at you.
…
What if two computer viruses got together on your computer and had a baby?
It does happen, says security firm BitDefender, and the result is more mutant than mutt. The firm has taken to calling the third, new piece of malware produced by the odd couple — with apologies to Mary Shelley — "Frankenware." The spontaneous software offspring might be dangerously unpredictable, and it can be harder to defend again, BitDefender says.
There are so many computer viruses flying around out there that they can't help bumping into one other while wreaking havoc on our computers. In fact, virus writers account for this. In order to protect and defend a hard-won compromised computer, some virus writers actually install their own antivirus programs after they infect a PC. That way, another bad guy can't come along and hijack an already hijacked machine, said Catalin Cosoi, head of the Online Threats Lab at BitDefender, based in Romania.
…
Source: https://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=12275
A network of some 7,000 typo squatting domains is being used by scammers to effectively drive traffic towards their scammy sites, some of which get so much traffic that they managed to enter Alexa's top 250 list of sites with the largest Web traffic, say Websense researchers.
The typo squatting domains take advantage of the "fat-fingered" visitors of popular websites such as Google, Twitter, Gmail, YouTube, Wikipedia, Victoria's Secret, Craigslist, and many more, and redirect them to spam survey sites.
…
Source: http://www.military.com/news/article/china-suspected-in-attacks-on-dod-computer-cards.html
Cyber security firms have discovered a computer virus that uses servicemembers’ network security cards to hack into government networks.
How does it work? servicemembers receive an email with an official-looking PDF file connected to the virus that allows it to record keystrokes, said Jaime Blasco, lab manager for Alien Vault, a California-based cyber security firm. The virus then collects a service member’s personal identification number associated with a Common Access Card when he logs into a government computer.
“The hackers can get in pretty easily with this virus and do whatever they want on a government computer while a soldier just works on his computer,” Blasco said in a phone interview from his office in Spain.
Blasco said he suspects the cyber attack originates from China because of the Chinese characters found within the virus’ coding.
…
