Hacker And The Fed

Latest Episodes:

Chinese Malware, a Year in Review of Zero-day Exploits, a Ransomware Study, and Listener Questions Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed the US hunts Chinese malware that could disrupt American Military operations, a year in review of zero-day exploits, a study finds no evidence that ransomware victims with cyber insurance pay up more often, there's fighting words between Tenable CEO and Microsoft, and we answer listener questions from a listener in Greece, Holland, and a new minted NSA hacker.

Links from the episode:

U.S. Hunts Chinese Malware That Could Disrupt American Military Operations

https://dnyuz.com/2023/07/29/u-s-hunts-chinese-malware-that-could-disrupt-american-military-operations/

The Ups and Downs of 0-days: A Year in Review of 0-days Exploited In-the-Wild in 2022

https://security.googleblog.com/2023/07/the-ups-and-downs-of-0-days-year-in.html

No evidence ransomware victims with cyber insurance pay up more often

https://therecord.media/ransomware-cyber-insurance-payments-uk-report

Tenable CEO accuses Microsoft of negligence in addressing security flaw

https://cyberscoop.com/tenable-microsoft-negligence-security-flaw/

https://twitter.com/MalwareJake/status/1686869818912202755

https://www.wired.com/2002/01/bill-gates-trustworthy-computing/

SMS Traffic Pumping Fraud

https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/8360406023067-SMS-Traffic-Pumping-Fraud

New acoustic attack steals data from keystrokes with 95% accuracy

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-acoustic-attack-steals-data-from-keystrokes-with-95-percent-accuracy/

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Authentication Attacks, US Government Domains, and New Cyber Incident Disclosure Guidelines Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed what authentication attacks might look like in a phishing resistant future, the SEC now requires companies to disclose cyber attacks, there are many more US government domains in the .com world than you might think, and other news stories from this week in cyber security.

Links from the episode:

What might authentication attacks look like in a phishing-resistant future?

https://blog.talosintelligence.com/what-might-authentication-attacks-look-like-in-a-phishing-resistant-future/

The Messaging Layer Security (MLS) Protocol

https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc9420

List of public government managed domains that exist outside of the top-level .gov and .mil domains

https://github.com/GSA/govt-urls/blob/main/1_govt_urls_full.csv

Top level domain operator wants out of the business

https://domainnamewire.com/2023/07/26/top-level-domain-operator-wants-out-of-the-business/

Network giants unite to fight security risks

https://www.networkworld.com/article/3703233/network-giants-unite-to-fight-security-risks.html

Cybersecurity Agencies Warn Against IDOR Bugs Exploited for Data Breaches

https://thehackernews.com/2023/07/cybersecurity-agencies-warn-against.html

Norwegian government IT systems hacked using zero-day flaw

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/norwegian-government-it-systems-hacked-using-zero-day-flaw/

https://www.dss.dep.no/aktuelle-saker/departementer-utsatt-for-dataangrep/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/critical-infrastructure-companies-warned-to-watch-for-ongoing-cyberattack-76508d83

Satellites Are Rife With Basic Security Flaws

https://www.wired.com/story/satellites-basic-security-flaws/

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Get your Hacker and the Fed merchandise at hackerandthefed.com

Thousands of Intelligence and Defense Employees Exposed, a Hacker Infects His Own Computer, Google Accuses Apple Employee of Not Reporting a Zero-day Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed new cyber security labels proposed by the US government could help us buy our new devices, an employee exposes thousands of intelligence and defense employees, Google may be restricting internet access to some employees to reduce their cyber attack risk, a hacker infects his own computer, and Google says an Apple employee found a zero-day but didn't report it, and we answer listener questions about our phones getting searched and email encryption.

Links from the episode:

White House teams with Amazon, Google and Qualcomm on cybersecurity labels for gadgets

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/us-cyber-trust-labels-will-help-consumers-pick-safer-smart-devices.html

Google exposes intelligence and defense employee names in VirusTotal leak

https://therecord.media/virustotal-user-email-addresses-leaked-google-military-intelligence

Google restricting internet access to some employees to reduce cyberattack risk

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/google-restricting-internet-access-to-some-employees-for-security.html

Black Hat Hacker Exposes Real Identity After Infecting Own Computer With Malware

https://www.securityweek.com/black-hat-hacker-exposes-real-identity-after-infecting-own-computer-with-malware/

IT Security Analyst Jailed for Impersonating as a Hacker in Own Company

https://cybersecuritynews.com/it-security-analyst-jailed/

Google says Apple employee found a zero-day but did not report it

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/20/google-says-apple-employee-found-a-zero-day-but-did-not-report-it/

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803537

Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate

https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/microsoft-cybersecurity-analyst

Cybersecurity Expert Kevin David Mitnick died

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668

Listener Questions:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/18/22630439/apple-csam-neuralhash-collision-vulnerability-flaw-cryptography

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Go to JoinDeleteMe.com/FED and use the code FED20 for 20% off

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Get your Hacker and the Fed merchandise at hackerandthefed.com

The Dangers of Googling Phone Numbers, an Attack on a Security Platform, and Typo Squatting on US Military Domains Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed you can't always count on Google for the right telephone number for an airline, an American cloud based directory as a service platform announces that they were hacked by a state sponsored threat actor, millions of US military emails may be ending up in the wrong hands, a new ransomware looks like a windows update, we answer listener questions, and Hector tells a fascinating story about a hacking methodology.

Links from the episode:

Airline Fake Contact Number on Google Maps

https://twitter.com/Shmuli/status/1680669938468499458

https://twitter.com/SwiftOnSecurity/status/1680926780599812098

JumpCloud discloses breach by state-backed APT hacking group

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/jumpcloud-discloses-breach-by-state-backed-apt-hacking-group/

JumpClouds IOCs - https://jumpcloud.com/support/july-2023-iocs

Domains like army․ml, pentagon․ml, navy․ml and af․ml all have Mail Exchange records pointing to 'handle․catchemail․ml'

https://twitter.com/mikko/status/1680947795862200325

Watch out for this new malicious ransomware disguised as Windows updates

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/watch-out-new-malicious-ransomware-disguised-windows-updates

https://www.trendmicro.com/en_id/research/23/g/tailing-big-head-ransomware-variants-tactics-and-impact.html

Listener Questions

https://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2023/06/13-cyber-clinic.php

Support our sponsors:

Go to JoinDeleteMe.com/FED and use the code FED20 for 20% off

Go to drata.com/partner/hacker-fed and get 10% off Drata and waived implementation fees

Get your Hacker and the Fed merchandise at hackerandthefed.com

Are Your Lightbulbs a Security Risk? Voice Authentication May be Broken, and Logistics Security Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed your lightbulbs may be giving away the location of your house, could Microsoft end ransomware right now? Also, voice authentication may be broken, the latest ransomware attack shows us the important of logistics security, convenience has once again jeopardized Google authenticator security, and a listener shares a wild car theft story.

Links from the episode:

Your lightbulbs may be giving out your exact location

twitter.com/haxrob/status/1676416949499338752

Microsoft Can Fix Ransomware Tomorrow

darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/microsoft-can-fix-ransomware-tomorrow

Cybercriminals can break voice authentication with 99% success rate

helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/06/voice-authentication-insecurity/

INTERPOL Nabs Hacking Crew OPERA1ER's Leader Behind $11 Million Cybercrime

thehackernews.com/2023/07/interpol-nabs-hacking-crew-opera1ers.html

Japan's biggest port, Nagoya, hit by suspected cyberattack

asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-s-biggest-port-Nagoya-hit-by-suspected-cyberattack

Raising concerns over Google Authenticator’s new features

techradar.com/pro/raising-concerns-over-google-authenticators-new-features

Trinidad and Tobago facing outages after cyberattack

therecord.media/trinidad-tobago-hit-with-cyberattack

Listener Questions

ksltv.com/563455/police-release-images-of-suspect-who-broke-into-familys-car-at-airport-then-their-home/

Support our sponsors:

Go to JoinDeleteMe.com/FED and use the code FED20 for 20% off

Go to drata.com/partner/hacker-fed and get 10% off Drata and waived implementation fees

Your Car’s Data Might Be For Sale, a New Malware Payload Vector Using DNS, and Listener Questions Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed your car may be collecting up to 25 GB per hour of data about you and a new malware payload vector is using DNS, what is “encryptionless ransomware”. We also answer listener questions about a variety of topics, including how to prepare for a cybersecurity career in the US government, banking security, and hack-backs.

Links from the episode:

How Your New Car Tracks You

https://www.wired.com/story/car-data-privacy-toyota-honda-ford/

DNS TXT Records Can Be Used by Hackers to Execute Malware

https://cybersecuritynews.com/dns-txt-records-to-execute-malware/?amp

Encryption-less ransomware: Warning issued over emerging attack method for threat actors

https://www.itpro.com/security/ransomware/encryption-less-ransomware-warning-issued-over-emerging-attack-method-for-threat-actors

Support our sponsors:

Go to JoinDeleteMe.com/FED and use the code FED20 for 20% off

Go to drata.com/partner/hacker-fed and get 10% off Drata and waived implementation fees

A Hack-Back Lands a CEO in Prison, Repo Jacking, and When to Use a VPN Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed a CEO did a hack back and was sentenced to prison, Reddit hackers demanded a price roll back, repo jacking and fake Github repositories, and we answer listener questions about Hector's old hacks and VPNs.

Links from the episode:

I Was Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Hacking Back - My Story

twitter.com/silascutler/status/1671144482769608705 -> https://hackernoon.com/i-was-sentenced-to-18-months-in-prison-for-hacking-back-my-story

Reddit hackers demand $4.5 million ransom and API pricing changes

theverge.com/2023/6/19/23765895/reddit-hack-phishing-leak-api-pricing-steve-huffman

GitHub Dataset Research Reveals Millions Potentially Vulnerable to RepoJacking

blog.aquasec.com/github-dataset-research-reveals-millions-potentially-vulnerable-to-repojacking

Attackers Create Synthetic Security Researchers to Steal IP

darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/attackers-create-synthetic-security-researchers

Google announces $20 million investment for cyber clinics

cyberscoop.com/google-investment-cyber-clinics/

Listener Questions

https://fidoalliance.org/

Support our sponsors:

Go to JoinDeleteMe.com/FED and use the code FED20 for 20% off

A Massive Ongoing Ransomware Attack, Google Claims to Catch Chinese Hackers, and the Feds Arrest a Russian Hacker in Arizona Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed a ransomware group hacked a widely used file transfer software and began leaking stolen data, Google claims it caught Chinese government hackers red-handed breaking into hundreds of networks, the Feds arrest a ransomware perpetrator in Arizona, and we nerd out on security researchers taking over various countries domains.

Links from the episode:

MOVEit Cyber Attack: Personal Data Of Millions Stolen From Oregon, Louisiana, U.S. Agency

forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/16/moveit-cyber-attack-personal-data-of-millions-stolen-from-oregon-louisiana-us-agency/?sh=3cf2b1b46b05

US govt offers $10 million bounty for info on Clop ransomware

bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-govt-offers-10-million-bounty-for-info-on-clop-ransomware/amp/

Google claims it caught China government hackers redhanded breaking into hundreds of networks around the world

fortune.com/2023/06/15/china-hacking-networks-cybersecurity-google-mandiant/amp/

20-Year-Old Russian LockBit Ransomware Affiliate Arrested in Arizona

thehackernews.com/2023/06/20-year-old-russian-lockbit-ransomware.html

Can I speak to your manager? hacking root EPP servers to take control of zones

hackcompute.com/hacking-epp-servers/

Darknet Parliament is now a thing

cybernews.com/security/darknet-parliament-killnet-hackers/

Support our sponsor:

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For more information on Chris and his current work visit naxo.com and follow him on LinkedIn.

Follow Hector @hxmonsegur

China's Tik Tok "God Credential" Allegation, a New Phishing and Email Takeover Campaign, and Listener Questions Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed we discuss the latest development in the Tik Tok controversy, how to detect and mitigate a new phishing and email takeover campaign, Google's new top-level domain, and some interesting statistics in the new Verizon breach investigation report.

Links from the episode:

Former exec at TikTok's parent company says Communist Party members had a 'god credential' that let them access Americans' data

businessinsider.com/communist-party-god-credential-data-bytedance-tiktok-former-executive-alleges-2023-6

Detecting and mitigating a multi-stage AiTM phishing and BEC campaign

microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2023/06/08/detecting-and-mitigating-a-multi-stage-aitm-phishing-and-bec-campaign/

America’s Most Cybersecure Companies

forbes.com/lists/most-cybersecure-companies

Hackers claim to have crippled Russia’s banking system

cybernews.com/cyber-war/infotel-hack-impacts-russian-banks/

Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report

verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/

Support our sponsors:

Go to JoinDeleteMe.com/FED and use the code FED20 for 20% off

For more information on Chris and his current work visit naxo.com and follow him on LinkedIn.

Follow Hector @hxmonsegur

Zero-click Exploits Attacking iPhones, PC Motherboards Downloading Malware, and a New Dutch Mandate Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

This week on Hacker And The Fed we discuss another zero-click exploit attacking iPhones via the iMessage app, millions of PC motherboards may be downloading malware, the FTC slams another company for violations, security researchers find a vulnerability in Gmail's checkmark system that is already being abused. And the Dutch government now mandates an easy way to contact website administrators.

Links from the episode:

Operation Triangulation: iOS devices targeted with previously unknown malware

securelist.com/operation-triangulation/109842/

thehackernews.com/2023/06/new-zero-click-hack-targets-ios-users.html

Millions of PC motherboards were sold with a firmware backdoor

arstechnica.com/security/2023/06/millions-of-pc-motherboards-were-sold-with-a-firmware-backdoor/

FTC Slams Amazon with $30.8M Fine for Privacy Violations Involving Alexa and Ring

thehackernews.com/2023/06/ftc-slams-amazon-with-308m-fine-for.html

Bug in Gmail

twitter.com/chrisplummer/status/1664075886545575941

twitter.com/ChristopheDary/status/1664907465924681728

linkedin.com/posts/christophe-dary-85330561_spf-dmarc-bimi-activity-7070510499196489728-pPTh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop