71–80 of 167 posts
the chassis of the servers was opened and an unknown USB device was plugged in only 30-60 seconds before the connection was broken. In which country did this happen? As an European I expected the US/EU governments would keep their hands of Tor because dissidents use it in countries where US/EU want regime change.
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it is pretty likely the USB device is this http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/mouse_jiggler/ to prevent the computer going to sleep while this is utilized http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/hotplug_field_kit/ These are pretty standard plays in seizing computers these days. One should note that the grsec linux patchset has functionality to not load drivers for any plugged usb devices, as well as log when…
About the jiggler: would the hid driver even be loaded on a server?
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If the USB device from the article is doing anything along the lines of BadUSB or EFI compromise, then re-imaging your server won't accomplish much. https://trmm.net/EFI
it is pretty likely the USB device is this http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/mouse_jiggler/ to prevent the computer going to sleep while this is utilized http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/hotplug_field_kit/ These are pretty standard plays in seizing computers these days. One should note that the grsec linux patchset has functionality to not load drivers for any plugged usb devices, as well as log when…
In this case, I would bet on a firmware compromise, similar to DIETYBOUNCE: https://www.eff.org/files/2014/01/06/20131230-appelbaum-nsa_...
As a countermeasure, I would not fully trust TXT in this particular case. It's likely a state actor who could spoof measurements over the the LPC bus.
Interesting. It is entirely possible it is survivor bias on my part but I get the suspicion that a global sort of 'cyberwar' that has been rumbling along for years is heating up rapidly. I've seen a 10x increase in various scripted attacks being attempted (patch early and often folks!) and a number of APT level compromises of systems either staging malware or deploying it (see the latest bulletin on the Afghan govern…
Fortunately in this modern version of war you can "kick the soldiers out" of your server by bringing it down and re-imaging it. And they won't turn around and shoot you, but that is not all that comforting somehow.
Overall, I worry more about the hacks I haven't detected than those I have. Re-imaging is a pain, but not as much as not knowing your server is secure.
the chassis of the servers was opened and an unknown USB device was plugged in only 30-60 seconds before the connection was broken. In which country did this happen? As an European I expected the US/EU governments would keep their hands of Tor because dissidents use it in countries where US/EU want regime change.
The USG is not a monolithic entity. The State Department loves TOR, for the reasons you list, while Justice hates it. The Justice Department does not need State approval to get warrants and take down servers, nor do they need State approval to work with their foreign partners to do the same.
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If the USB device from the article is doing anything along the lines of BadUSB or EFI compromise, then re-imaging your server won't accomplish much. https://trmm.net/EFI
it is pretty likely the USB device is this http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/mouse_jiggler/ to prevent the computer going to sleep while this is utilized http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/hotplug_field_kit/ These are pretty standard plays in seizing computers these days. One should note that the grsec linux patchset has functionality to not load drivers for any plugged usb devices, as well as log when…
That said, very good point wrt grsec.
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When it hits hedge funds and private equity firms people will start caring.
Oh, the whole cyberwar situation is far from "hopeless". The truth is nobody to speak of has taken it seriously yet. Security is still mostly an afterthought, if that , almost everywhere you look. Even in nominally security-focused contexts. And much of the activity in places that really are security focused are built around an environment in which software must be assumed to basically be constructed out of styrofoam…
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I've had job offers for programming drones. I was involved with computer security for a while, and I still have a strong interest in every computational and mathematical aspect of it. I have friends that work on those things. I like those friends. I write code. I write math. We all think. We all share abstract models, different ways of thinking. It's not just code that gets turned into code. It's thought, and everyth…
Have I abstracted this problem too much, too far away from reality? I'll say. You could throw it in and go work as a coal-miner, but then you'd have to worry about the coal you mined being used to smelt steel that goes on to be manufactured as bomb casings. And so on. Certainly you shouldn't work on anything that offends you conscience, but the mere fact that something can be repurposed for warfare doesn't create mor…
But you are right. I look to provide utility in areas where the net effect seems most likely to be positive. When I can't evaluate that entirely I just assume neutral or no effect, it sort of just dissipates over time, like a wave collapse function, assuming entropy, or some manner of mental equality among peers.
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Does ISIS really have the resources to carry out criminal computer activities? From what I understand, they are a group with limited technological advantage, and there is no way they could carry out a major attack on the Internet.
(Note to ossreality, who also replied to this comment: you appear to be hellbanned.)