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Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

bbc.com

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Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#21

Post by qq66 »

meowface wrote: post #16
ingenter wrote: post #5

Here's one of the reason not to install antivirus software: if a malicious adversary finds a vuln in the AV or hacks C&C servers, you have a nice backdoor you installed to "protect" yourself.

That's bordering on complete paranoia. You can make this argument for any software you install with auto-update capabilities... which is likely significantly more than half the software the average person has. Your AV company's infrastructure is probably a lot more secure than the infrastructure of browser plugins you use and games you play.

It's not paranoia to be deeply concerned by the security implications of a ton of auto updating software from dozens of vendors sitting on hundreds of millions of machines.

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#22

Post by x5n1 »

DickingAround wrote: post #20

A lot of beating around the bush; just say the US and/or Isreal did it. We already know Duqu was made by the same people who made Stuxnet. We already know Stuxnet was made by the US and/or Isreal to hurt the Iranian nuclear program. So if they have strong evidence it was the same people... we know who those people are and we should just say their names.

Kaspersky has been a pain in the ass of the status quo because they are Russian and so it's difficult to control them and rein them in. Lots of exploits depends on the cooperation and complacency of security companies that are in the pocket of the various governments. Kaspersky wasn't one of these, or at least in the pockets of Russia, and so had to be compromised to try to control their oversight on security and to further the chances of exploits succeeding. Good on them for detecting the exploit, now they know that they are valid targets for this sort of thing.

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#24

Post by tptacek »

x5n1 wrote: post #22
DickingAround wrote: post #20

A lot of beating around the bush; just say the US and/or Isreal did it. We already know Duqu was made by the same people who made Stuxnet. We already know Stuxnet was made by the US and/or Isreal to hurt the Iranian nuclear program. So if they have strong evidence it was the same people... we know who those people are and we should just say their names.

Kaspersky has been a pain in the ass of the status quo because they are Russian and so it's difficult to control them and rein them in. Lots of exploits depends on the cooperation and complacency of security companies that are in the pocket of the various governments. Kaspersky wasn't one of these, or at least in the pockets of Russia, and so had to be compromised to try to control their oversight on security and to…

Who is trying to control and rein in antivirus companies?

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#25

Post by mirimir »

Kaspersky's technical paper on Duqu 2.0,[0] begins with: "The initial attack against Kaspersky Lab began with the targeting of an employee in one of our smaller APAC offices." It notes that the next step was compromising other machines on LAN. But they only discuss Windows, and don't even mention OSX, BSD, Linux, etc.

I'm wondering how lateral movement to non-Windows machines would have been accomplished.

[0] https://securelist.com/files/2015/06/The_Mystery_of_Duqu_2_0...

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#26

Post by mc32 »

x5n1 wrote: post #22
DickingAround wrote: post #20

A lot of beating around the bush; just say the US and/or Isreal did it. We already know Duqu was made by the same people who made Stuxnet. We already know Stuxnet was made by the US and/or Isreal to hurt the Iranian nuclear program. So if they have strong evidence it was the same people... we know who those people are and we should just say their names.

Kaspersky has been a pain in the ass of the status quo because they are Russian and so it's difficult to control them and rein them in. Lots of exploits depends on the cooperation and complacency of security companies that are in the pocket of the various governments. Kaspersky wasn't one of these, or at least in the pockets of Russia, and so had to be compromised to try to control their oversight on security and to…

I'm sure it knew it was a target for this kind of thing since they did exhibit bias. That is to say they showed greater interest in exposing western gov't hacking capabilities and activities than they did in exposing Russian and Chinese govt actors in the same arena.

I'm sure this is no surprise to them.

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#27

Post by obstinate »

tptacek wrote: post #24
x5n1 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kaspersky has been a pain in the ass of the status quo because they are Russian and so it's difficult to control them and rein them in. Lots of exploits depends on the cooperation and complacency of security companies that are in the pocket of the various governments. Kaspersky wasn't one of these, or at least in the pockets of Russia, and so had to be compromised to try to control their oversight on security and to…

Who is trying to control and rein in antivirus companies?

The Illuminati. Come on. As a security researcher, you should know this. /s

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#28

Post by x5n1 »

mc32 wrote: post #26
x5n1 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kaspersky has been a pain in the ass of the status quo because they are Russian and so it's difficult to control them and rein them in. Lots of exploits depends on the cooperation and complacency of security companies that are in the pocket of the various governments. Kaspersky wasn't one of these, or at least in the pockets of Russia, and so had to be compromised to try to control their oversight on security and to…

I'm sure it knew it was a target for this kind of thing since they did exhibit bias. That is to say they showed greater interest in exposing western gov't hacking capabilities and activities than they did in exposing Russian and Chinese govt actors in the same arena. I'm sure this is no surprise to them.

> than they did in exposing Russian and Chinese govt actors in the same arena.

That's the job of Western companies. Keeps everyone honest. Western companies have as much bias as anyone, they are just good at covering it up with rhetoric... and Americans are good at deluding themselves about their own bias and Nationalism which is no different from anyone else's.

> On balance, with the current regimes in those countries, I prefer the western alternative to these regimes. It's not as if they are equivalent just with a different opinion. I truly prefer my western govt's over Russia and China's.

I do too. However, no one is as clean, just, and fair as they make themselves out to be. Everyone who plays geopolitics is dirty as shit. I like my government because it treats me well enough, ask other people and they might not have the same opinions.

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#29

Post by x5n1 »

tptacek wrote: post #24
x5n1 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kaspersky has been a pain in the ass of the status quo because they are Russian and so it's difficult to control them and rein them in. Lots of exploits depends on the cooperation and complacency of security companies that are in the pocket of the various governments. Kaspersky wasn't one of these, or at least in the pockets of Russia, and so had to be compromised to try to control their oversight on security and to…

Who is trying to control and rein in antivirus companies?

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/12/how_antivirus...

Re: Kaspersky Lab cybersecurity firm is hacked

#30

Post by mc32 »

x5n1 wrote: post #28
mc32 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure it knew it was a target for this kind of thing since they did exhibit bias. That is to say they showed greater interest in exposing western gov't hacking capabilities and activities than they did in exposing Russian and Chinese govt actors in the same arena. I'm sure this is no surprise to them.

> than they did in exposing Russian and Chinese govt actors in the same arena. That's the job of Western companies. Keeps everyone honest. Western companies have as much bias as anyone, they are just good at covering it up with rhetoric... and Americans are good at deluding themselves about their own bias and Nationalism which is no different from anyone else's. > On balance, with the current regimes in those countri…

On balance, with the current regimes in those countries, I prefer the western alternative to these regimes. It's not as if they are equivalent just with a different opinion. I truly prefer my western govt's over Russia and China's, no doubts.
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