Hacker

Jihadist Group Hacks U.S. Central Command and Is Uploading Pentagon War Game Scenarios and Personal Details of Military Members

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Flashback:

“They are doing everything in the world to control the internet.”
– Congressman Ron Paul on the Cyber Security Act

– Law Professor: Counter Terrorism Czar Told Me There Is Going To Be An i-9/11 And An i-Patriot Act:

“Lawrence Lessig, a respected Law Professor from Stanford University told an audience at this years Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Half Moon Bay, California, that “There’s going to be an i-9/11 event” which will act as a catalyst for a radical reworking of the law pertaining to the internet.”

Obama-internet-kill-switch

– Breaking: Jihadist Group Hacks U.S. Central Command and Is Uploading Pentagon War Game Scenarios and Personal Details of Military Members (SHFTplan, Jan 12, 2015):centcom-hack-th

US Central Command (@Centcom), the unified military command responsible for security across the Arabian Peninsula and into the central Asia region, has had their Twitter account compromised. Cyber Jihadist claiming to be linked to ISIS were actively tweeting and uploading hacked war-game scenarios and other details that include phone numbers and email addresses for U.S. military personnel.

According to the hackers, the documents were obtained from a previous hack of Pentagon defense systems, as well as mobile devices owned by individuals working for or in conjunction with the military.

As of this writing, approximately one hour after the hack was first identified on the Centcom Twitter page, the account has been suspended and all linked data, including pictures releases of war game scenario and personal details of personnel are being wiped, presumably by U.S. National Security teams.

Read moreJihadist Group Hacks U.S. Central Command and Is Uploading Pentagon War Game Scenarios and Personal Details of Military Members

ISIS Supporters Hack US CentCom’s Twitter, YouTube Account, Threaten US Soldiers, Release “China Scenario” Details

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Flashback:

“They are doing everything in the world to control the internet.”
– Congressman Ron Paul on the Cyber Security Act

– Law Professor: Counter Terrorism Czar Told Me There Is Going To Be An i-9/11 And An i-Patriot Act:

“Lawrence Lessig, a respected Law Professor from Stanford University told an audience at this years Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Half Moon Bay, California, that “There’s going to be an i-9/11 event” which will act as a catalyst for a radical reworking of the law pertaining to the internet.”

– ISIS Supporters Hack US CentCom’s Twitter, YouTube Account, Threaten US Soldiers, Release “China Scenario” Details (ZeroHedge, Jan 12, 2015):

Update 2: Centcom’s YouTube account has also been hacked…

centcom-hack6

Update: 40 minutes after the first hacked tweet appeared at 12:29pm Eastern, the Centcom account has been suspended.

centcom suspended_0

Another day, another escalation in the conflict between supporters of the Islamic State and western powers, in this case the Twitter account of the US Central Command (@Centcom), which appears to have been hacked, and where compromising tweets revealing details about military members and potential conflict scenarios involving China and North Korea, are being sent out in real time.

This is the threat that was released via the hacked account moments ago:

Pentagon networks hacked

AMERICAN SOLDIERS,

WE ARE COMING, WATCH YOUR BACK. ISIS. #CyberCaliphate

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the CyberCaliphate under the auspices of ISIS continues its CyberJihad. While the US and its satellites kill our brothers in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan we broke into your networks and personal devices and know everything about you.

You’ll see no mercy infidels. ISIS is already here, we are in your PCs, in each military base. With Allah’s permission we are in CENTCOM now.

We won’t stop! We know everything about you, your wives and children.

U.S. soldiers! We’re watching you!

Here’s a part of confidential data from your mobile devices:

http://www.4shared.com/zip/2uJtWwfDba/us_army_files.html
http://www.4shared.com/zip/TskSuCl2ba/war_scenarios.html
http://dfiles.eu/files/njgg7yvbx
http://dfiles.eu/files/usybptc71

There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet! There is no law but Sharia!

A sampling of the hacked tweets:

Perhaps of increased concern: the disclosure of Centcom’s “China scenarios”

Centcom-Hack2

Centcom-Hack1

* * *

Countdown to Internet kill switch 10…. 9…. 8…. 7….

Obama-internet-kill-switch

WTC-7-collapse

++ Iraq: al Baghdadi appare in immagini in moschea Mossul ++
A welcome distraction: the Islamist dude with the $6.500 James Bond watch.

Related info:

– They Have Butchered Children (Veterans Today)

– Israel Acts As ISIS’ Air Force … Repeatedly Bombs Syria

– Senior Aide To President Putin: Mossad Training ISIL Terrorists

– ISIS, Al-Qaeda Join The M&A Bubble, Agree To Fight ‘Common Foes’ Together In Syria

– George Galloway On ISIS (Video )

– Israel And Turkey Are Directly Supporting ISIS And Al-Qaeda Terrorists In Syria

– The Khorasans: As Fake As the Kardashians

– What Iraq Thinks: “It Is Obvious To Everyone That ISIS Is A Creation Of The United States And Israel”

– The Fake Beheadings of the Arch-Zionist Crime Syndicate

– ISIS EXPOSED 100% AS CIA OPERATION: ‘The Next Osama Bin Laden is Here’ (Video)

– Meeting ISIL (Documentary)

– ISIL Leader Al-Baghdadi Is Mossad Agent Simon Elliot

McCain and his buddy, ISIS leader Al-Baghdadi:

ISIS-leader-Al-Baghdadi-Mccain

McCain-ISIS

The U.S. has armed and trained ISIS:

– Veterans Today: CIA And US Military Fight Under Al Qaeda Command In Syria (Video)

– U.S. Special Forces Train Syrian Rebels In Jordan (Le Figaro)

– Americans Are Training Syria Rebels In Jordan: Spiegel (Reuters)

– CIA-Armed And Trained Syrian Rebels ‘On Way To Battlefield’

– ‘Military Intervention In Syria’, US Training ‘Rebels’ Since 2011 And The Complete Grand Plan – The March 2012 Leak

mossadISISmeme

Baghdadi Mossad Trained
Source

Flashback:

… all of them coming directly from from our Al-CIAda unit …

Robin-Cook-There-is-no-al-qaeda

– Why Was A Sunday Times Report On US Government Ties To Al-Qaeda Chief Spiked? & Gladio B

– Hillary Clinton: ‘We Created Al-Qaeda’ — The Protagonists Of The ‘Global War on Terrorism’ Are The Terrorists (Video)

– ‘GLADIO, THE LIVING PROOF THERE IS NO AL-QAEDA, NO WAR ON TERROR’ – ‘GLADIO Is AL-QAEDA’ (Veterans Today)

Just one month after this article has been published in the Guardian Robin Cook DIED:

– Former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook: ‘Al-Qaida, Literally “The Database”, Was Originally The Computer File Of The Thousands Of Mujahideen Who Were Recruited And Trained With Help From The CIA To Defeat The Russians’

– Al Qaeda Doesn’t Exist or How The US Created Al Qaeda (Documentary)

– BBC: Al-Qaeda Does Not Exist (Documentary)

Retired U.S. General Wesley Clark …

… at the Commonwealth Club of California:

– U.S. 4 Star General Wesley Clark, Oct 3, 2007: ‘We’re Gonna Attack And Destroy The Governments In 7 Countries In 5 Years’ … ‘Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan And Iran’ (Video)

… or here in this interview with Democracy Now:

– Interview With US General Wesley Clark (Ret.): US Government Planned To ‘Take Out 7 Countries In 5 Years’: ‘Starting With Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan And Finishing Off Iran’ (Video)

 

Defiant North Korea Says Can Prove It Is Not Behind Hack “Without Resorting To Torture Like The CIA”

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– Defiant North Korea Says Can Prove It Is Not Behind Hack “Without Resorting To Torture Like The CIA” (ZeroHedge, Dec 20, 2014):

Just hours after the FBI announced that, with absolute certainty, it had determined that North Korea was behind the Sony hack, a “theory” that has become the butt of global jokes, we learned, in a far less prominent release, that according to an internal inquiry, FBI evidence if “often mishandled.” According to the NYT, “F.B.I. agents in every region of the country have mishandled, mislabeled and lost evidence, according to a highly critical internal investigation that discovered errors with nearly half the pieces of evidence it reviewed.

The evidence collection and retention system is the backbone of the F.B.I.’s investigative process, and the report said it is beset by problems.

It gets better: according to the report, the F.B.I. was storing more weapons, less money and valuables, and two tons more drugs than its records had indicated. Almost as if the FBI was siphoning off cash, while hoarding guns and blow.

Read moreDefiant North Korea Says Can Prove It Is Not Behind Hack “Without Resorting To Torture Like The CIA”

The Interview Is “Desperately Unfunny”, “Will Flop” If Not Cancelled According To Leaked Sony Emails

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–  The Interview Is “Desperately Unfunny”, “Will Flop” If Not Cancelled According To Leaked Sony Emails (ZeroHedge, Dec 19, 2014):

The conspiracy theories surrounding the story of The Interview’s cancellation in the aftermath of the North Korean “hacking” just keep getting stranger by the day, (and will, in 6-9, months lead to the blockbuster drama: “How ‘The Interview’ Got Cancelled“)

First, as we previously reported, at the same time as the NYT reported that according to the US the hack “undisputedly” originated in North Korea, Wired magazine released an article explaining why it is impossible to make such a determination (see Someone is Lying). That, however, did not stop the US on its inexplicable witch hunt, and moments ago Reuters reported that according to the US, it was indeed North Korea who was responsible for the hacks (although, the report adds, North Korea may have had a little help from China so nobody really know but whatever).

From Reuters:

Read moreThe Interview Is “Desperately Unfunny”, “Will Flop” If Not Cancelled According To Leaked Sony Emails

Hackers in charge: Sony hack and theater pullback reveals new era of hackers trouncing multinational corporations

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H/t reader squodgy:

 “This is novel, but the comment by Anonyplatypus is most profound.”

Comment by Anonyplatypus:

“If you really believe N.Korea is behind this, I have some of Saddam’s nuclear weapons for sale.

Hackers? How about a pretense for enacting cyber martial law (censorship of alternative media while PNAC engages in the next step of making war vs Russia.)

At the council of the Beast:
“Hey, fellow lizard-people [bankers, khazars, and other parasitic demons of this planet], we seem to be some 18 to 60 trillion dollars in debt. We desperately need a false flag scapegoat to blame for our impending financial collapse, now that BRICS are raining down on us. Let’s set up a global campaign of false flags, including cyberattacks and our pet armies of IS [let’s not degrade the name of the Goddess, please], leading up to our grand finale when we nuke wall street and send a fleet of MiG drones to attack European civilians, then we can implement the endgame of PNAC, because we have already lost to Eurasia economically and must start the main phase of WW-PNAC before BRICS military capability exceeds ours, which will happen very soon at the present rate.”

Author said:
“For example, what happens if the same group […] decides to
hack […] nuclear power plants and force them into critical meltdowns?”

Well, i dunno, why don’t you ask the programmers of STUXNET over at CIA-Mossad? They seem to have experience with such things, having earned the record for the worst friendly-fire incident ever, when their virus leaked from Iran to Japan, causing Fukushima Daiichi’s emergency systems to fail, killing or mutating all life in and on the Pacific?”

The-interview-Sony-hack

– Hackers in charge: Sony hack and theater pullback reveals new era of hackers trouncing multinational corporations (Natural news, Dec 17, 2014):

Note the day of December 16th, 2014. That day will mark a milestone in history because it was the first time a U.S. cinema chain censored the launch of a movie due to threats from hackers.

“Carmike Cinemas has canceled the nationwide Christmas Day release of Sony’s ‘The Interview,’ the first theater chain to do so on the day hackers threatened 9/11-like attacks on theaters that showed the movie,” reported The Wrap today. [1]

Sony pictures has been under siege ever since an elaborate hack stole studio files and emails, some of which have already been released to the great embarrassment of studio executives and Hollywood stars. Natural News hasn’t covered any of this because it all seemed so pointless… until today.

Read moreHackers in charge: Sony hack and theater pullback reveals new era of hackers trouncing multinational corporations

Anonymous hacks Swedish govt emails over seizure of Pirate Bay servers

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we-are-anonymous

– Anonymous hacks Swedish govt emails over seizure of Pirate Bay servers (RT, Dec 14, 2014):

Swedish government email accounts have been hacked by the Anonymous hacktivist group, in response to last week’s seizure of The Pirate Bay servers by Swedish police.

The group also claimed to have hacked into the government email accounts of Israel, India, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.

The hacktivist group also left a message at the end of the leak: “Warning: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all!! Bye :*”

Read moreAnonymous hacks Swedish govt emails over seizure of Pirate Bay servers

Sony suspends filming after hackers hit payments

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– Sony suspends filming after hackers hit payments (The Times, Dec 13, 2014):

The Hollywood studio that made the James Bond and Spider-Man films has abandoned shoots after hackers crippled its computer network, and leaked four films and thousands of documents.

Agencies filming for Sony Pictures have cancelled shoots because the problems have left it unable to process payments, a source told The Times.

The attack by Guardians of Peace, a hacking collective suspected of having links with North Korea, has taken most of Sony Pictures’ computers offline.

…

JPMorgan Hack Exposed Data Of 83 Million Customers, Among Biggest Breaches In History

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– JPMorgan hack exposed data of 83 mln, among biggest breaches in history (Reuters, Oct 2, 2014):

Oct 2 (Reuters) – Names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of the holders of some 83 million households and small business accounts were exposed when computer systems at JPMorgan Chase & Co were recently compromised by hackers, making it one of the biggest data breaches in history.

The bank revealed the scope of the previously disclosed breach on Thursday, saying that there was no evidence that account numbers, passwords, user IDs, birth dates or Social Security numbers had been stolen.

It added that it has not seen “unusual customer fraud” related to the attack which exposed contact information for 76 million households and 7 million small businesses.

Read moreJPMorgan Hack Exposed Data Of 83 Million Customers, Among Biggest Breaches In History

Airplanes could be taken over through inflight entertainment systems, hacker claims

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– Airplanes could be taken over through inflight entertainment systems, hacker claims (RT, Aug 4, 2014):

A security researcher says that ships, aircraft and industrial facilities are all at risk of being compromised — perhaps with catastrophic results — and intends to explain how at a major hacker conference this week.

Ruben Santamarta, a 32-year-old consultant for cyber security firm IOActive, is expected to present a talk titled “SATCOM Terminals: Hacking by Air, Sea and Land” on Thursday at the annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, and during it he plans to demonstrate how satellite communications systems used by the likes of commercial airliners and oil rigs alike can be infiltrated by malicious actors and altered to let unauthorized attackers take control.

Read moreAirplanes could be taken over through inflight entertainment systems, hacker claims

Hijacked Robotoilet: Even Toilets Aren’t Safe As Hackers Target Home Devices – ‘Forget To Flush? There’s An App For That’

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– Even Toilets Aren’t Safe as Hackers Target Home Devices (Bloomberg, June 10, 2014):

Come home to a hot iron and smoldering clothes this afternoon? Soon, it may not be a sign of forgetfulness, but rather evidence that you’ve been hacked.

In coming years, your smartphone will be able to lock your house, turn on the air conditioning, check whether the milk is out of date, or even heat up your iron. Great news, except that all that convenience could also let criminals open your doors, spy on your family or drive your connected car to their lair.

“As these technologies become more sophisticated, it opens up a broader spectrum of threats,” said Gunter Ollmann, chief technology officer of IOActive, a tech security firm in Seattle. A world of connected devices makes it possible “for the bad guys to have permanent entry into your household.”

What the industry calls “the Internet of things” has been heralded as the next wave of tech riches. By 2020, some 26 billion such devices may be connected to the Internet, up from 3 billion today, researcher Gartner Inc. (IT) estimates. That’s almost four times the number of smartphones, tablets and PCs that will be in use.

The vision is to connect almost everything — from cars to fridges, lamps, even toilets. Forget to flush? There’s an app for that.

Read moreHijacked Robotoilet: Even Toilets Aren’t Safe As Hackers Target Home Devices – ‘Forget To Flush? There’s An App For That’

China Responds To “Ridiculous” Hacking Charges, Warns ‘Will Harm Relations With US’, Demands US ‘Rectify Mistake’

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– China Responds To “Ridiculous” Hacking Charges, Warns “Will Harm Relations With US”, Demands US “Rectify Mistake” (ZeroHedge, May 19, 2014):

While we wait (in vain) for the US to lob sanctions at China for doing what Russia has done and amass a military presence on its border with Vietnam, here is what China had to say about the earlier announcement by the DOJ charging China with espionage and “penetrating” US companies (if having nothing to add regarding the NSA). From the wires:

  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS CHARGES HARM RELATIONS WITH U.S.
  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS CHINA HAS ALREADY PROTESTED TO U.S., URGES U.S. TO IMMEDIATELY RECTIFY MISTAKE
  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY ‘STRONGLY REFUTES’ U.S. CHARGES
  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS U.S. MADE UP FACTS IN SPYING CASE
  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY URGES U.S. TO `CORRECT ITS MISTAKES’
  • CHINA SAYS U.S. VIOLATES BASIC PRINCIPLES OF INTL RELATIONSHIPS
  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLS CHARGES `BASELESS,’ `RIDICULOUS’
  • CHINA FOREIGN MINISTRY URGES U.S. TO `WITHDRAW CHARGES’

And the enigmatic:

  • CHINA TO MAKE FURTHER RESPONSES ACCORDING TO DEVELOPMENTS

Full Statement from China’s Foreign Ministry:

Read moreChina Responds To “Ridiculous” Hacking Charges, Warns ‘Will Harm Relations With US’, Demands US ‘Rectify Mistake’

Hackers Find First Post-Retirement Windows XP-Related Vulnerability

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– Hackers find first post-retirement Windows XP-related vulnerability (Computerworld, April 27, 2014):

Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 arent being exploited yet, but harbor a critical flaw

Computerworld – Microsoft on Saturday told customers that cyber-criminals are exploiting an unpatched and critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) using “drive-by” attacks.

“Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11,” the company said in a security advisory.

Read moreHackers Find First Post-Retirement Windows XP-Related Vulnerability

#OpIsrael: Anonymous Attacks Hundreds Of Israeli Websites

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anonymous-israel-cyber-attack-.si

– #OpIsrael: Anonymous attacks hundreds of Israeli websites (RT, April 6, 2014):

Hundreds of websites of Israeli ministries and organizations came under attack by Anonymous early Monday as part of the hacktivist group’s anti-Israel operation, dubbed #OpIsrael.

“On April 7, 2014, we call upon our brothers and sisters to hack, deface, hijack, database leak, admin takeover, and DNS terminate the Israeli Cyberspace by any means necessary” the group said in a statement.

The move is an act of protest against Israel’s policies, including those against Palestine.

“The further assault on the people of Gaza, who have been flooded by your sewage, terrorized by your military apparatus, and left to die at the border while waiting for medical attention will NOT be tolerated anymore,” the statement read.

“We will not stop until the police state becomes a free state and Palestine is free.”

Read more#OpIsrael: Anonymous Attacks Hundreds Of Israeli Websites

Isn’t It Ironic: Mt.Gox Hacker Demands Ransom From Exchange Users To Not Reveal Their Personal Data

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– Isn’t It Ironic: Mt.Gox Hacker Demands Ransom From Exchange Users To Not Reveal Their Personal Data (ZeroHedge, March 11, 2014)

The bankruptcy of the once largest Bitcoin exchange may be history, but now the real drama begins.

First, over the weekend, allegations surfaced that not the whole truth may have been revealed during the heartfelt announcement by Mt. Gox CEO, Mark Karpeles, who claimed that $400 million in Bitcoin were stolen by hackers. As Forbes reported, hackers took over the Reddit account and personal blog of Mark Karpeles, to reveal that the exchange he ran had actually kept at least some of the bitcoins that the company had said were stolen from users.

Read moreIsn’t It Ironic: Mt.Gox Hacker Demands Ransom From Exchange Users To Not Reveal Their Personal Data

Bitcoin Exchange MtGox ‘Faced 150,000 Hack Attacks Every Second’

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FYI.

Japanese reports blame collapse of the company on hackers overloading the website

bitcoin-111
Unlike traditional currencies, which are backed by central banks, Bitcoin is created by complex interactions between a large network of computers across the globe.

– Bitcoin exchange MtGox ‘faced 150,000 hack attacks every second’ (Telegraph, March 9, 2014):

Troubled Bitcoin exchange MtGox was reportedly attacked 150,000 times per second by hackers in the days leading up to its collapse last month.

The Tokyo-based exchange, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February, was hit with crippling distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

During DDoS attacks, hackers take control of multiple computers to send a flood of data to the target, causing servers to crash and making websites unavailable.

Lawyers for MtGox said that during the attacks, which lasted for several days, 750,000 Bitcoins belonging to customers were stolen, worth an estimated $575m (£344m).

Read moreBitcoin Exchange MtGox ‘Faced 150,000 Hack Attacks Every Second’

Computer Security Expert Claims He Hacked ObamaCare Website In 4 Minutes (Video)

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– Computer Security Expert Claims he Hacked the ObamaCare Website in 4 Minutes (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Jan 20, 2014):

The hits just keep on coming for ObamaCare. It was less than two weeks ago that I highlighted the potential premium rate death spiral that ObamaCare faces due to the fact that only old and sick people are signing up for the program. Now it seems there are further security related concerns plaguing the site, as cyber-security expert David Kennedy recently claimed that “gaining access to 70,000 personal records of Obamacare enrollees via HealthCare.gov took about 4 minutes.”

It’s actually hard to be this incompetent if you tried.

More from the Washington Times:

Read moreComputer Security Expert Claims He Hacked ObamaCare Website In 4 Minutes (Video)

Microsoft’s Secret Battle Against The Tor Botnet – Microsoft Can ‘Remotely Remove Progams En Masse From People’s Computers’

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– Microsoft’s secret battle against the Tor botnet (The Daily Dot, Jan 16, 2014):

In August 2013, 4 million infected computers woke up and waited instructions from their master.

The pathogen was Sefnit, a nasty bit of malware that makes infected computers mine bitcoins. Once the computers woke up, they worked under the command of Ukranian and Israeli hackers named Scorpion and Dekadent. The malware communicated with the two by downloading Tor, the powerful anonymizing software, and talking over encrypted channels. It was the first time a botnet, as a collection of slave computers is called, used Tor in such a potentially powerful way.

By using an unconventional method to exploit Windows, the hackers unwittingly forced Microsoft to show a hand few knew it had: The ability to remotely remove progams en masse from people’s computers, without them even knowing it.

Read moreMicrosoft’s Secret Battle Against The Tor Botnet – Microsoft Can ‘Remotely Remove Progams En Masse From People’s Computers’

Meet The Top NSA Hacking Unit: ‘TAO’, The Office Of ‘Tailored Access Operations’

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nsa_seal

– Inside TAO: Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit (Der Spiegel, Dec 29, 2013):

Part 1: Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit

The NSA’s TAO hacking unit is considered to be the intelligence agency’s top secret weapon. It maintains its own covert network, infiltrates computers around the world and even intercepts shipping deliveries to plant back doors in electronics ordered by those it is targeting.

In January 2010, numerous homeowners in San Antonio, Texas, stood baffled in front of their closed garage doors. They wanted to drive to work or head off to do their grocery shopping, but their garage door openers had gone dead, leaving them stranded. No matter how many times they pressed the buttons, the doors didn’t budge. The problem primarily affected residents in the western part of the city, around Military Drive and the interstate highway known as Loop 410.

Read moreMeet The Top NSA Hacking Unit: ‘TAO’, The Office Of ‘Tailored Access Operations’

NSA Uses Google Cookies To Pinpoint Targets For Hacking

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– NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking (Washington Post, Dec 10, 2013):

A slide from an internal NSA presentation indicating that the agency uses at least one Google cookie as a way to identify targets for exploitation. (Washington Post)

The National Security Agency is secretly piggybacking on the tools that enable Internet advertisers to track consumers, using “cookies” and location data to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.

The agency’s internal presentation slides, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, show that when companies follow consumers on the Internet to better serve them advertising, the technique opens the door for similar tracking by the government. The slides also suggest that the agency is using these tracking techniques to help identify targets for offensive hacking operations.

Read moreNSA Uses Google Cookies To Pinpoint Targets For Hacking

LA Officials May Delay School iPad Rollout After Students Hack Them In A Week

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🙂

– LA officials may delay school iPad rollout after students hack them in a week (engadget, Sep 26, 2013):

Just a week after it began the first phase of putting iPads in the hands of all 640,000 students in the region, the Los Angeles school district already has a fight on its hands. In a matter of days, 300 children at Theodore Roosevelt High School managed to work around protective measures placed on the Apple tablets, giving them complete access to features — including Facebook, Twitter and other apps — that should otherwise have been blocked.

Read moreLA Officials May Delay School iPad Rollout After Students Hack Them In A Week

Hackers Breach iPhone 5S Fingerprint Security

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– Hackers Breach iPhone 5S Fingerprint Security (ZeroHedge, Sep 23, 2013):

Dubbed as a “game-changer” despite being around on devices for years (Motorola Atrix anyone); a ‘paradigm’ shift in mobile payment security; and a revolution in handheld devices by any and all investors bullish of the stocks; Appl’s fingerprint-scanning TouchID is everything you want it to be – apart from secure. As Der Spiegel reports, the well-respected German hacker group Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has thrown a wrench in the works by bypassing the smartphone’s much-heralded fingerprint scanner just two days after launch. The CCC, as the clip below illustrates, successfully bypassed the biometric security system, called TouchID, using “easy everyday means.” So, the question now is – will the NYPD demand everyone downgrade their phones?

Via Der Spiegel,

It is supposed to represent a major step forward in mobile phone security by replacing the password. But the fingerprint sensor on Apple’s new iPhone 5S has already been compromised just two days after it went on sale. The German hacker organization Chaos Computer Club (CCC) says it has successfully bypassed the biometric security system, called TouchID, using “easy everyday means.”

…

the CCC said in a blog post, it wanted to demonstrate how fingerprint biometrics is “unsuitable as [an] access control method and should be avoided.”

Such fingerprint technology has been around for a while — it was included as a feature on the Motorola Atrix smartphone, launched in 2011 — but TouchID has been reported as a significant step forward. That assertion is categorically denied by the CCC, with a hacker known as Starbug, who was responsible for bypassing the fingerprint security, saying: “In reality, Apple’s sensor has just a higher resolution compared to the sensors so far. So we only needed to ramp up the resolution of our fake.”

…

“It is plain stupid to use something that you can’t change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token,” he said, referring to fingerprints.

Hackers For Government Hire: A Growing And Deeply Disturbing Industry

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– Hackers For Government Hire: A Growing and Deeply Disturbing Industry (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Sep 14, 2014):

Wikileaks recently continued the release of what they refer to as the “Spy Files.” These files provide a look into some of the companies behind the rapid commercialization of the spy equipment industry, who’s clients include repressive governments and dictatorial regimes around the world. In a press release announcing these files Wikileaks states:

Across the world, mass surveillance contractors are helping intelligence agencies spy on individuals and ‘communities of interest’ on an industrial scale.

The Wikileaks Spy Files reveal the details of which companies are making billions selling sophisticated tracking tools to government buyers, flouting export rules, and turning a blind eye to dictatorial regimes that abuse human rights.

One of the companies highlighted is an Italian based company called Hacking Team, a firm I had never heard of or read about until I came across an article from The Verge yesterday. What I read was pretty terrifying.

The Verge explains that:

Read moreHackers For Government Hire: A Growing And Deeply Disturbing Industry

NSA Director Keith Alexander Defends Surveillance Tactics In Speech To Hackers

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General tells Black Hat convention surveillance programmes respect privacy and are vital for national security




– NSA director Keith Alexander defends surveillance tactics in speech to hackers (Guardian, July 31, 2013):

The director of the National Security Agency has tried to dampen the current outcry over US government surveillance programmes by insisting such programmes respect Americans’ privacy. He also said that he is unable to intercept his own daughters’ emails.

General Keith Alexander told a conference of hackers on Wednesday that extensive surveillance had disrupted dozens of terrorist attacks but that technical and policy restrictions protected the privacy of ordinary Americans.

“The assumption is our people are just out there wheeling and dealing. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have tremendous oversight over these programmes. We can audit the actions of our people 100%, and we do that,” he said.

Read moreNSA Director Keith Alexander Defends Surveillance Tactics In Speech To Hackers

Famed Hacker Barnaby Jack ‘Dies’ Week Before He Planned To Reveal How To Hack Into Implanted Heart Devices And Kill A Man From 30 Feet Away

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– Famed hacker Barnaby Jack dies a week before hacking convention (Reuters, July 26, 2013):

Barnaby Jack, a celebrated computer hacker who forced bank ATMs to spit out cash and sparked safety improvements in medical devices, died in San Francisco, a week before he was due to make a high-profile presentation at a hacking conference.

The New Zealand-born Jack, 35, was found dead on Thursday evening by “a loved one” at an apartment in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood, according to a police spokesman. He would not say what caused Jack’s death but said police had ruled out foul play.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office said it was conducting an autopsy, although it could be a month before the cause of death is determined.

Jack was one of the world’s most prominent “white hat” hackers – those who use their technical skills to find security holes before criminals can exploit them.

His genius was finding bugs in the tiny computers embedded in equipment, such as medical devices and cash machines. He often received standing ovations at conferences for his creativity and showmanship while his research forced equipment makers to fix bugs in their software.

Jack had planned to demonstrate his techniques to hack into pacemakers and implanted defibrillators at the Black Hat hackers convention in Las Vegas next Thursday. He told Reuters last week that he could kill a man from 30 feet away by attacking an implanted heart device.

Read moreFamed Hacker Barnaby Jack ‘Dies’ Week Before He Planned To Reveal How To Hack Into Implanted Heart Devices And Kill A Man From 30 Feet Away