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Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

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Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#411

Post by whatnotests »

arthurfm wrote: post #407
ComodoHacker wrote: post #53

Edit: Botnet stats and spread (switch to 24H to see full picture): https://intel.malwaretech.com/botnet/wcrypt Live map: https://intel.malwaretech.com/WannaCrypt.html Relevant MS security bulletin: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms17-01... Edit: Analysis from Kaspersky Lab: https://securelist.com/blog/incidents/78351/wannacry-ransomw...

MalwareTech found the kill switch for WannaCrypt too. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/13/accidenta... https://twitter.com/MalwareTechBlog/status/86318710471668531... https://twitter.com/MalwareTechBlog/status/86318907784311603...

This sounds like something straight out of a James Bond movie.

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#412

Post by Bakary »

lukaa wrote: post #144

Just use Linux and 90% of your problems with malware is history.Your own customization of kernel will make your even more secure.

That won't matter if you can't easily run the software you need. I really hope Linux will one day make this possible, but then it will also come under the scrutiny of malware creators.

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#413

Post by EmlynC »

What gets me is why we don't see more viruses that _deliver_ the patch to fix the vulnerability.

It's perhaps a little more difficult as you'd need a vulnerability to keep spreading the innoculation. Arguably, though you release the virus, let it spread and then trigger the innoculation using a mechanism like calling out to a webserver, just as the kill switch worked here.

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#414

Post by marksomnian »

EmlynC wrote: post #413

What gets me is why we don't see more viruses that _deliver_ the patch to fix the vulnerability. It's perhaps a little more difficult as you'd need a vulnerability to keep spreading the innoculation. Arguably, though you release the virus, let it spread and then trigger the innoculation using a mechanism like calling out to a webserver, just as the kill switch worked here.

That's an interesting idea: release a virus to cite a virus. Reminds me of the game Uplink, where [spoiler alert] you choose to either help spread a virus to destroy the Internet, or help spread a "counter-virus", hacking large servers to cure them before they're overrun. Digital vigilantism, that's what that is.

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#415

Post by pbowyer »

qznc wrote: post #410
_asummers wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote Göring, > Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country. Patriotism is both a wonderful and terrible thing, and it is made worse by feari…

Greetings from Germany. Losing WW2 thoroughly destroyed patriotism here. We do fine.

Greetings from Britain. Unfortunately we didn't get that benefit too, as Brexit and the current election demonstrate...

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#416

Post by adrianN »

EmlynC wrote: post #413

What gets me is why we don't see more viruses that _deliver_ the patch to fix the vulnerability. It's perhaps a little more difficult as you'd need a vulnerability to keep spreading the innoculation. Arguably, though you release the virus, let it spread and then trigger the innoculation using a mechanism like calling out to a webserver, just as the kill switch worked here.

You run the risk of jail time without the upside of ransom payments.

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#417

Post by dpwm »

AdeptusAquinas wrote: post #91
devrandomguy wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank God for backups! And thank you for making sure people make backups. My mother is in a similar situation. She is an elementary school teacher, and has little time for unrelated endeavors like this. What time she does have, is spent in the garden, as it should be. Nevertheless, we are now seeing that the time-cost of closed source software, is greater than that of open-source software. My solution has been to pre…

How quickly some forget heartbleed. The solution to malware is obscurity. Have an OS that no one wants to break into, and you won't be broken into.

Heartbleed is a very different class of vulnerability -- it allows sensitive information to leak but does not provide root access.

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#418

Post by thoth »

jgaa wrote: post #403
lmz wrote: post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should that apply only to NSA or also to the writers of e.g. Metasploit exploits?

NSA made a weapon with the purpose of harming someone. In court, intent matters.

So: A makes a product with flaws, B makes an exploit, C leaks that exploit, D adds a harmful payload to the exploit and goes on to extort/profit from E, who has computers systems they failed to patch in time... and somehow B and only B is at fault?

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#419

Post by H4CK3RM4N »

print_r wrote: post #384
H4CK3RM4N wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My impression was hat the Shadow Brokers already had, or were about to release the tools which Wikileaks ended up leaking. Regardless, these should've been disclosed to the manufacturers under Obama's policies.

I would be curious as to the agenda of these "Shadow Brokers" it all sounds very Gibsonesque. Recent events have made Neuromancer seem more and more prophetic to me.

They were hackers who acquired a trove of state secrets and were looking to make a quick buck. I've linked an archive of their initial statement below. I think it speaks volumes about how far the NSA can be trusted that these people were the ones to leak the tools instead of a state actor or someone previously known.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160815124425/https://github.co...

Re: Cyberattacks in 12 Nations Said to Use Leaked N.S.A. Hacking Tool

#420

Post by mirimir »

jgaa wrote: post #397

If NSA made it, and failed to protect it - then NSA should be liable for law suits to pay for damages.

Well, gun manufacturers have been sued in the US. Now they're protected by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

But NSA is part of US DOD. So the chances of a successful claim are about zero.

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