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Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk

51–60 of 67 posts

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#52
post #14

Related Reddit thread : https://www.reddit.com/r/cybersecurity/s/LXb88TKC4M

In a proper capitalistic system, those who build low quality e-commerce services, including hackable ones, should go out of business and replace more competent companies. This includes buying services from bad suppliers. This Reddit post hints that many shortcuts were taken, security not taken seriously when they should have, and now they reap what they sow.

"proper capitalist system" aka fantasy capitalism, an utopic capitalism that lacks operations/tasks where deceiving is cheaper than doing things correctly, yes I am one of those that don't believe that such thing is compatible with human nature.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#53
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Young people have little fear of repercussion as they cant really fathom the consequences. Either they learn from this misadventure or go on being a career criminal. All of this depends on their home lives.

This simply isn’t true. Yes, teenagers are morons by the standard of a well adjusted 30 year old, but they’re more than capable of understanding consequences for their actions. I hate to sound like my parents/grandparents but I absolutely knew that causing millions of pounds of damage and attempting to blackmail a major corporation could have huge negative consequences for people and myself at 17.

Maybe I didn't phrase that quite right. I knew a kid who was caught by the FBI carding at just 14. He was totally aware of what he was doing but did not comprehend the severity of his crimes. Like I remember him just casually dismissing it as some cute prank. Apparently he was arrested, had his computer confiscated, then banned from using the Internet or a computer. I only heard that through others who knew him personally so who knows but I never saw him online after that incident (irc/icq/aim days.)

So with that story, some teenagers don't or can't comprehend the severity of their crimes or the trial and punishment that ensues. To them it's just a dumb credit card company write off and a free laptop or whatever.

I'll admit, I used to push limits. Used to do silly things with misfit friends. Got into a little incident where we pissed off some dudes, one who had a gun (no one shot but man having one pointed at you is scary AF.) Learned real fast not to do stupid "funny shit" that was really just jerk behavior. We never expected to have a gun pointed at us.

That's what teenagers do, they push limits without thinking because they're rebellious. Looking to carve out their independence. Sometimes, they learn the hard way. That's just life.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#54
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it a professional operation? Says they were 17. Some people playing around with their Commodore 64 except it's connected to the internet and a pretty big company.

Let's not pretend these kids were trying to hack the Gibson just for the lulz. Calling into help desk, requesting password resets with social engineering, getting into network, installing ransomware is all well beyond playing around. I know there are smart teens, but I would not be surprised to find out there is someone more experienced in the background that got the kids going if not even on behalf of. There are ple…

Likely an OCG behind them. I wouldn't be surprised to see a defence of exploitation.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#55
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why clarifying young folks are capable of understanding consequences and repercussions, but will underperform at doing so for a myriad of reasons, including real physical differences in brain structure, should be this contentious.

Because we’re talking in the context of young people who executed a multi-stage criminal enterprise causing millions of pounds of damage, harming multiple companies and their customers, AND TRIED TO EXTORT THE CEO FOR PROFIT. This is not “behavioural immaturity” associated with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex!

Actually, this is exactly what underdeveloped prefrontal cortex looks like at scale. You're describing sophisticated technical execution combined with catastrophically poor judgment.

They bragged about it to the BBC as well. This is not a clever strategy to not get caught. Neither is not immediately fleeing to another jurisdiction than the very one you committed the crimes in.

This is what happens when you have extremely smart kids with high risk-taking tolerance. If they weren't as intellectually gifted, they might be driving a souped up 15 year old Golf like a maniac round country roads - but because they have these technical capabilities, their poor judgment scales up to cause millions in damage instead of just getting themselves arrested with a few grams.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#56
post #2

Little information there about them, but I find it kind of surprising that the suspects are even UK based..

Why is that surprising?

Cybercrime is usually international, cross-border, because (1) it's all online anyways, and so it's approximately equally difficult from any country, and (2) to disincentivize your own local law enforcement from getting involved.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#57
post #30

Cyber crime does not exist. Only deficient systems intentionally designed to be exploited exist. if you want your “cyber infrastructure” to not be attacked, dont make it vulnerable. All tech is artificial, not of nature. Require software to be developed by licensed engineers. no more offshoring. no more importing of cheap labor. make tech corps pay instead of acruing mass wealth. Make the corps pay when the vulnerabi…

Theft does not exist. Only deficient windows intentionally designed to be breakable exist. if you want your "personal possessions" to not be taken, dont make them vulnerable. Yes, the companies involved should take some responsibility for terrible security practice (though I'm sure they wish this had never happened!) but victim-blaming doesn't justify crime.

More like if the store had the information of every customer sitting there for anyone to take. yes, theyre responsible for their negligence.

When you know its going to happen, and then it happens because you did nothing - yeah, its your fault.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#59
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because we’re talking in the context of young people who executed a multi-stage criminal enterprise causing millions of pounds of damage, harming multiple companies and their customers, AND TRIED TO EXTORT THE CEO FOR PROFIT. This is not “behavioural immaturity” associated with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex!

Actually, this is exactly what underdeveloped prefrontal cortex looks like at scale. You're describing sophisticated technical execution combined with catastrophically poor judgment. They bragged about it to the BBC as well. This is not a clever strategy to not get caught. Neither is not immediately fleeing to another jurisdiction than the very one you committed the crimes in. This is what happens when you have extre…

That’s a massively reductionist view of this. Maybe prefrontal development played a role but so many things are part of this you can’t just say the two statements being put: one by OP and one by you.

“Teenagers don’t understand repercussions”

“Teenagers have underdeveloped prefrontal cortex”

These might have been FACTORS in this specific case but the former is not generally true. The latter is true but it’s not the full story. It cannot, on its own, explain why these kids committed a major criminal enterprise.

That is what I take issue with.

Re: Retail cyber attacks: NCA arrest four for attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why clarifying young folks are capable of understanding consequences and repercussions, but will underperform at doing so for a myriad of reasons, including real physical differences in brain structure, should be this contentious.

There are some statements that, though reasonable in isolation, are almost always heard from people teeing up a really bad opinion. For example, if someone says "I'm not racist, but" I'm already rolling my eyes before they've even said what they're about to say. Similarly, when some people hear "prefrontal cortexes don't fully develop until" they start rolling their eyes pre-emptively at the infantilising, anti-perso…

My issue is that their statement about prefrontal cortex development is being used in the context of “young people don’t understand repercussions,” when the two things are not actually related. Not least because young people clearly CAN understand repercussions.
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