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The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

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671–680 of 818 posts

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#671

Amazon are going all out on the denial https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/security/setting-the-record-str...

Frankly, I trust Bloomberg more than Amazon and Apple's PR departments combined.

You trust anonymous sources, over a company that is willing to back their claims?

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#672
This impressive hack highlights the fact that endpoint security is not enough and that data are not secure, neither in cloud or on-prem setups. It's imperative for users to keep the data always encrypted on the storage-side, even in memory. You can learn how here: https://www.kalepso.com

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#673

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not correct the QSA will validate that the device does not store PIN codes or the that the merchant does not store anything they are not allowed. Devices that accept cards need to comply with PED/PTS security requirements including very strict physical security requirements which are validated by PCI council approved laboratories and firms. You are not getting a device on the market or usable with any merchane…

About that, I can only say that Chinese android POSes do everything in software, for sure, without any hsm present. The question is, how Chinese banks coax Visa into allowing them using them.

The POS and the PED/PTS isn't the same thing the POS can complete the transaction without touching the credit card in fact most of them do exactly that the only thing that it does is communicate with the PED/PTS to send the amount and get a confirmation/denial.

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#674

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OMG, that is so so so so brilliant! I'm going to go tell my boss right now that the suppliers better suite up, otherwise we are going right to their more expensive, less experienced vendor and will delay our product launch for a year....and likely still suffer the same problem. Those Chinese vendors better shape up or we're going to really teach them a lesson by driving ourself out of business right quick!

Just imagine for a second if someone was advocating on HN for the use of a web framework that has knowingly allowed itself to be compromised to steal passwords because it was cheaper to use. How about a compromise? If any of your customers are a victim of a crime because you continued to use a shady but cheap vendor after seeing them trying to slip past tampered hardware, your company is held fiscally and criminally…

You mean like couple of well known platforms that let you reach their users and in the meantime steal, mine and monetize user information?

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#675
post #642

If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the article you will find the disclaimer Bloomberg LP has been a Supermicro customer. According to a Bloomberg LP spokesperson, the company has found no evidence to suggest that it has been affected by the hardware issues raised in the article. Why did Bloomberg not buy a bunch of SuperMicros (new and used) and find the chip? That would be difficult but would turn this into…

Based on my reading of the article, the allegation is that only boards going to certain designated customers were targeted. Not all boards.

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#676

As a nation, we need to unite against the external threat of China. Russia and Israel are fine. China is the number one problem sowing discord in this country.

Ok why not all of them?

You know the answer to that. Russian bots target Hacker news as well as other sites.

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#677
"Two of Elemental’s biggest early clients were the Mormon church, which used the technology to beam sermons to congregations around the world, and the adult film industry, which did not."

Amused to see some element of humor added to an article on a subject that will have extremely serious consequences, the likes and extent of which are hard to estimate at the moment

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#678

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The fact is, doing any kind of hardware production in China, you have to be aware Chineese have different value system and you would not be suited doing any business if you throw tantrum at any sign of apparent dishonesty Sounds like the solution is not doing business with them and pushing for a ban on others doing business with them (since this largely has a socialized cost when things go wrong, such as individual…

OMG, that is so so so so brilliant! I'm going to go tell my boss right now that the suppliers better suite up, otherwise we are going right to their more expensive, less experienced vendor and will delay our product launch for a year....and likely still suffer the same problem. Those Chinese vendors better shape up or we're going to really teach them a lesson by driving ourself out of business right quick!

Leaving an abusive relationship tends to be scary, especially if the victim is convinced that the abuser is the least bad. Doesn't mean the thought of ending that relationship should be dismissed out of hand.

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#679
post #387

Just as a sidenote: X-raying PCBs and then diffing them against clean PCBs is a worthwhile thing to do if you're concerned about hardware backdoors, or 'interdiction' of hardware in a supply chain. I do this sometimes when ordering super-critical equipment like Thinkpads from the U.S as you never know what lurks on the motherboard (keyloggers, etc). I have a clean Thinkpad that I use to compare against potential back…

> X-raying PCBs and then diffing them against clean PCBs is a worthwhile thing to do if you're concerned about hardware backdoors, or 'interdiction' of hardware in a supply chain. I do this sometimes when ordering super-critical equipment like Thinkpads from the U.S as you never know what lurks on the motherboard (keyloggers, etc). I'm curious - how does one go about buying or getting access to an x-ray machine (and…

I would go to a local SMD assembly house and ask to use theirs.

Re: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate Amazon and Apple

#680

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This still sounds nuts to me. Two thoughts: > they typically will not be thinking they are doing anything wrong. They are just testing if you notice and if you do not they will say it makes no difference for you but saves them costs. This is how children behave. Still feels like you’re rewarding bad behavior. You’re enabling them. I think it’s more that you’ve valued the low per unit price over having a healthy contr…

You're starting to realize that not all cultures are that great. >I think it’s more that you’ve valued the low per unit price over having a healthy contract. Well, when the choice is to either play ball or go out of business, it's not a tough decision.

Well, right, like American culture is probably one of the worst
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