Reporting From the Web’s Underbelly

Post by nikcub » Mon, Feb 17, 2014, 9:34 AM UTC

naterator wrote: post #20

nikcub wrote: post #19

> The source said that he had bought a large batch of stolen cards from an underground site and that they all appeared to have been used at Target. Interesting sidenote in the Target hack. First, something that you might not know: not one of these breaches (that is Target, Neiman Marcus, Michaels, etc.) was discovered by the actual affected companies - they were all discovered by bank and security officials in the un…

Is there a bright side to this, though? Doesn't this mean that the barrier to entry will increase for this kind of crime, and thus a smaller group of criminals will be able to perform it? Maybe that's small consolation, considering that only a handful need to do it to cause widespread havoc. Still. I hope this isn't all bad.

Post by jnbiche » Mon, Feb 17, 2014, 11:19 AM UTC

nikcub wrote: post #21

naterator wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a bright side to this, though? Doesn't this mean that the barrier to entry will increase for this kind of crime, and thus a smaller group of criminals will be able to perform it? Maybe that's small consolation, considering that only a handful need to do it to cause widespread havoc. Still. I hope this isn't all bad.

You can now buy credit cards on some of the new underground markets that are replacing Silk Road. Find the type of card you want, select how many you want ($5-20 each) and go through the checkout process, just like shopping on Amazon. What happen is that there is now another tier of distribution - the bulk guys aren't selling directly to the public any more but there are people buying from them who are , and they are…

Post by w1ntermute » Mon, Feb 17, 2014, 1:57 PM UTC

hyperion2010 wrote: post #18

meowface wrote: post #17

The online crime world has a bitter hatred of Krebs, moreso than any other "white hat" out there probably. Numerous malware families include references to him in their source code, control panels, and domain names. As a security researcher I frequently find botnet command & control panels that have a picture of Krebs' face above the login form. Domain names similar to "briankrebsisachildmolestor.com" are sometimes us…

One of the articles profiling him mentioned he recently upgraded to a 12-guage security system.

Post by aaronem » Mon, Feb 17, 2014, 3:21 PM UTC

JonnieCache wrote: post #26

w1ntermute wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean a 12 gauge shotgun?

Somehow I don't think a 1 and a half metre long gun is that appropriate for self-defence, if you're worried about people creeping up on you. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't see much in the way of a quick draw being possible. I guess when you hear the front door being broken down you can be prepared with a robust response. Or perhaps he has a tiny train for making his getaway, wallace and gromit style?

Post by Consultant32452 » Mon, Feb 17, 2014, 5:50 PM UTC

aaronem wrote: post #27

JonnieCache wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somehow I don't think a 1 and a half metre long gun is that appropriate for self-defence, if you're worried about people creeping up on you. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't see much in the way of a quick draw being possible. I guess when you hear the front door being broken down you can be prepared with a robust response. Or perhaps he has a tiny train for making his getaway, wallace and gromit style?

True, a shotgun is not the sort of thing you'd carry for personal defense outside your own property, but for home defense, a 12-gauge pump-action is as good as anything, and better than most -- especially when, as mentioned in the article, you have surveillance cameras at the approaches, so you can see any unwanted guests coming with enough time to prepare for their arrival.