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Welcome To The Year Of The Hack

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Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft, Tumblr, Burger King, Jeep, The New York Times . The cybersecurity reckoning is here, and it's been a long time coming.

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Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images

The first two months of 2013 have seen a stunning number of the world’s best-known companies get hacked. And they're not afraid to tell us about it.

Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr have all been breached. The New York Times extensively documented its own attack, as did the Washington Post. Jeep and Burger King lost control of their Twitter accounts for over an hour. NBC was hacked, embarrassingly and publicly, just a day ago. Minutes before this story was published, Microsoft announced that it, too, had been compromised.

A casual observer would be right to ask: What the hell is going on here? And why can't anyone seem to stop it?

The answer appears to be a kind of perfect storm. The hackers have been getting better, and their targets haven't been keeping up. Meanwhile, some victims have begun to believe that rather than concealing their compromised data, their best bet is to speak up about it, in hopes of improving security measures.

“It's always tough to say whether we're seeing a spike in incidents or if we're merely becoming more aware of them,” says Brian Krebs, of Krebs On Security. “In some cases, multiple successive compromises at high-profile sites have followed the discovery in the underground of a vulnerability in some kind, he says, “[while] in other cases, it's merely a footrace that the attackers win when the defenders fail to keep up with patches.”

But these targets have been unusually forthright in telling us they've been hacked— this recent spate of breaches, for the most part, haven't affected user data, which would legally require the hacked companies to notify the public. These companies — including Facebook — have not been legally compelled to say they'd been hacked at all, but have anyway.

This, apparently, may have been self-interested — and indeed, the publicity around the attacks is a kind of plea for help.

“These companies recognize that the government tends to mobilize additional resources when they admit to a breach,” says Tom Kellermann, Special Advisor to the ICSPA and former member of the Obama administration's commission on cyber security. Particularly, he adds, “when they admit to a breach that might create systemic risk via island hopping.” “Island hopping,” which is moving laterally from one hacked system into another secure one, Kellermann says, “is mainstream now.”

Chester Wisniewski, Senior Security Advisor at Sophos, agrees that much of the public's perception of what's been happening over the last few months comes down to transparency, whatever the motivation. “We're hearing about it more and more frequently, but not necessarily because its a new problem,” he says. “Things have been terrible for twenty years.”

This, too, is a refrain repeated by many security researchers: that the problem isn't new, people are just hearing about it for the first time. But that doesn't mean the problem, as familiar as it is to the security world, isn't getting worse. “I hope we're reaching some awareness,” says Wisniewski, “considering how frequently [these hacks] are happening.”

The internet we use today, and the myriad security systems built around securing it, especially passwords, are beginning to show their age. The web as we know it, says Wisniewski, “was all designed in this perfectly academic world, where everyone trusted everyone else.”

“As we're learning in the 21st century,” he says. “we need to trust no one.”

Richard Forno, Assistant Director at the University of Maryland Center for Cybersecurity, agrees. “People like me have been been making warnings,” he says, with “reports and conference keynotes and analyses about this going back to the 90s, talking about this very stuff.”

“For me it's like, what changed?,” he says. “Are you now going to listen to us? Can I say, 'we told you so?'”

Aside from timing, the recent rash of attacks shares little in common. Some highly advanced hacks, such as the one mounted against the Times, appear to have been sponsored by governments — particularly the Chinese — while others, such as Facebook's, seem financially motivated. Twitter's hijacked brand accounts were the work of young vandals, probably just having fun, and were likely the result of weak passwords. This isn't, in other words, a concerted effort as much as a broad matching of hackers' strength with victims' weakness.

The incentive and ability to hack major companies is as great as ever, but their security — though every one is ostensibly (and always) planning to improve — hasn't kept pace. Companies like Facebook and Twitter and Apple, says Wisniewski, have “a billion dollar target painted on their back.”

“These companies represent the biggest possible target you could imagine,” he says. And hackers — unrelated and largely disorganized — are winning the battle against an equally diffuse security establishment. “It's important for Internet users to remember that most malicious sites are in fact legitimate sites that have been hacked,” adds Krebs.

“The finding that I hope we collectively take away from this,” says Forno, “is that we realize how insecure and how vulnerable we really are.”

Perhaps, as the public begins to worry more about cybersecurity and more major companies, such as Twitter, take broad steps forward in user security — two-step authentication is going to become very important, very soon — we will find ourselves on the cusp of a Great Securing, after which bad passwords no longer exist and Apple engineers don't run Java in their web browsers. “Facebook is making a solid effort to protect its users' data. All the big internet companies do. I don't think people should panic,” says Wisniewski. “If people get too scared of the internet it could had a massive impact on the economy.” Stories like Mat Honan's account of his own hacking, which describes wide ranging human and technological breakdowns in Apple and Amazon's user security systems, however, don't inspire confidence.

Forno, too, worries that a panic could do more harm than good, particularly if federal legislators take notice: “What Washington tends to do with whatever it politically expedient, cheap, and relatively uncontroversial,” he says. “A lot of [what it does] is reinventing the wheel, doing something we don't need, or it benefits special interests. They don't address the underlying reason why we're under attack.”

But until this Great Securing takes place, whether voluntarily or by mandate, security is both as intractable as it's ever been and getting tested with unprecedented frequency and zeal.

“I think it is worse than ever,” admits Wisniewski. “Our privacy is currency and our information is currency, and the criminals have figured that out.” Criminals and, according to reports, the Chinese government, which would constitute a cyber-threat with an unprecedented combination of resources and motivation.

In other words, it's not just a perfect storm. It's a perfect storm with no forecasted end.

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Microvolts 2013 HACK EPIDEMIC WHOLE SERVER HACKS

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Author: Matthew Baker

Banned

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The Innocent-Looking Site That Helped Hack Apple And Facebook

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Author: Jon Daniels

This is what a cutting edge cyber attack looks like: An old iPhone enthusiast forum.

AllThingsD reports that at least some of the major cyber attacks reported in the last week, including those that affected employees’ computers at Apple and Facebook, may have originated at a site called iPhone Dev SDK. As D (and other sites) note in their stories, you shouldn't visit this site for obvious reasons — at the time of writing, it's down anyway.

But here's what a recent archive of the site looks like opened from within a secure Linux virtual machine:

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Rough hack converts an Optimus G to a Nexus 4, minus the constant sellouts

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Author: Randy Miller

It’s practically a truism to say that the Nexus 4 is near impossible to purchase, a minimum of for those who don’t desire to pay a carrier premium. Rohan32 and buddies at XDA-Developers could just conserve us from camping at the Google Play store front through a new software hack. Their work converts an LG Optimus G‘s firmware to that of an 8GB Nexus 4 by swapping every LG-customized software aspect with a Nexus 4 parallel. The nearly identical hardware creates a very close performance, at least if you discount the inevitable design differences. If anything, the work is virtually too faithful: the current hack switches off LTE, caps the interior storage space at 8GB as well as needs making use of Nexus 4 firmware for future upgrades. It’s possible to go back to LG’s code if there’s jitters, but it goes without stating that the overall treatment holds more than the normal share of danger when even familiar ROM flashers are warned to be careful. Anyone who throws care (and the cost of an Optimus G) to the wind can discover their stock Android experience at the source.

[ Thanks, Greg ]

Submitted under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LGCommentsSource: XDA-Developers

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FIFA 12 Virtual Pro Hack – Xbox 360 100%WORKING 2013

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Author: Markus Smith

Download your copy from here (Limited Time Only) www.mediafire.com This prestige level 15 hack has been designed for multi-platform function, working on PS3 & Xbox 360 as well as PC. It allows you to instantly prestige to any level up to that of 15. It will unlock all guns, camouflage, attachments and perks. It is fully customisable, with everything being able to be changed to how you like it. Full feature list below- Features of MW3 Prestige Hack: -Any Prestige Level -All Titles & Emblems -All Guns & Attachments -All Camouflage Steps to transfer Prestige Hack to PS3 & Xbox 360: 1. Download the link listed above, and extract the files inside using Winrar. Be sure to save it somewhere you can remember. 2. Insert a USB into your Xbox 360/PS3, note that the size of the USB can be anything that is over 64MB. 3. Go to the dashboard, System settings, Memory and go to USB drive, Configure the USB if it’s used for the first time. Click Gamer profiles and transfer the one you’re going to be using the prestige hack with. 4. Remove USB drive from xbox, insert it back into PC. Now, open up the folder you’ve extracted, put all the subfolders into the root of your USB. 5. After the file has been moved into the root of your USB, Go to the folder ” Stealth Patch “, and run “PRESTIGE-SP.exe”, a black window will pop up, and disappear in a short amount of time, the amount of time it takes depends on your computer speed, this will stealth patch your gamer profile. 6. After you’ve stealth …
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Raspberry Pi Hack Turns The Ultra-Affordable Computer Into An AirPlay Receiver

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Author: Alexander McQueen

Exactly what can ’ t the Raspberry Pi do? Well, it absolutely can operate as an AirPlay receiver for Apple ’ s Wi-Fi audio streaming process, it turns out. Cambridge engineering student Jordan Burgess handled to convert among the $ 25 open computers into an AirPlay receiver along the lines of Apple ’ s AirPort Express, making use of open source software, a USB Wi-Fi adapter, an SD card, a micro USB cable and the Pi itself.

The procedure for establishing the Pi once you have all the hardware ingredients is relatively straightforward, especially if you ’ re comfortable dealing with Terminal and with the fundamentals of setting up an operating system onto the Raspberry Pi. Still, this isn ’ t for users who aren ’ t comfy beyond their computer system ’ s common GUI. However if you ’ ve got the moment and the abilities, you can save a fair quantity utilizing this variation vs. others. Burgess estimates that the overall develop expense is around ₤ 30 ($ 48 USA), vs. $ 100 for the Apple TELEVISION or Flight terminal Express. Presenters with the tech built-in likewise cost well in excess of that usually.

There are some cautions, however, and the biggest may shut off audio quality enthusiasts hoping to set some of these up and running in their own houses. Burgess notes that the Raspberry Pi does not have a great digital-to-analog converter (DAC), meaning that you ’ ll get background sound and distortion when you plug the Pi directly into the 3.5 mm output of a set of speakers. A USB sound card is a possible fix for this constraint, however, and some house movie theater receivers work as DACs if you ’ re using it as a way to include AirPlay functionality inexpensively to your existing living or media room setup.

With a few even more refinements to help enhance audio quality, this can be an inexpensive means to assist wire a whole house for sound, Sonos-style, so long as you ’ re already committed to utilizing Apple gadgets and iTunes.

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Make Your Own Lytro-Style, Adjustable Focus Photos With DSLR Video And A Simple Hack

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Author: Dave Adams

The Lytro is a really cool piece of tech that could produce images with easy-to-manipulate depth-of-field, however it additionally suggests purchasing a new, $ 400 piece of photography gear that takes unquestionably low resolution photos, for a really particular usage. Now, The Chaos Collective has actually built a workaround to permit users to create images with similar, magnificent effects utilizing the kit they currently have– so long as that includes a camera with manual focus and video clip shooting abilities.

It works finest with DSLR cameras and lenses with extremely broad apertures, like the Canon 6D and EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens I made use of to produce the image above, however it could possibly also deal with any pocket camera with manual focus and a speedy repaired lens like the Sony RX100. The actions are straightforward: shoot a quick, 2 to 3 2nd video clip, beginning by concentrating at one extreme (close or far) and then readjusting the focus to the other. You then upload the resulting file utilizing the Mayhem Collective ’ s tool, preferably in. m4v format, and it spits out a magic focus, Lytro-style image that you can either publish to The Turmoil Collective ’ s website and share by means of Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest or through an embed code. You can also embed it yourself along with the uploaded, full source video clip if you ’ d host it on your own site.

Results turn out finest if you ’ re making use of a tripod, and if you take place to have among the range of devices available to filmmakers for doing smooth focus while shooting video without producing camera shake, you ’ re golden. But even with my cheap $ 20 tripod and hand-adjusted focus, you can see above that the results are very impressive for about 15 mins of work, including transferring the film to my computer and cutting the clip length a little bit in QuickTime.

Chaos Collective member Adam Kumpf discussed in an email meeting that the project was mainly simply a lark, the outcome of a one-day hack indicated to see if it was possible, however he states that if the neighborhood seems to embrace it, they ’ ll placed more resources into the job, but otherwise, it ’ s on to the following concept.

Here ’ s an additional instance from The Turmoil Collective itself, and you can look into more by means of the formal job site.

Hack gives HTC Droid DNA the bootloader unlock that Verizon took away

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Author: Angela Chin

Custom ROM fans were briefly teased with the prospect of Verizon loosening its anti-modding stance when the HTC Droid DNA first arrived: in the pre-release days, the official HTCDev portal allowed unlocking the DNA’s bootloader. While the carrier unfortunately clamped down and denied the option by the time the giant smartphone was in stores, that hasn’t stopped Android Police and Sean Beaupre from keeping the dream alive through very unofficial means. A special backup file, a carrier ID generator app, a shell script and judicious use of ADB tweak the carrier information to trick HTCDev and let the unlock work once again. To call this a risky procedure would be an understatement, however — venturing past a certain point raises the real possibility of bricking the device, and HTC’s bootloader tool already puts limits on post-unlock support even when it’s blessed by carriers. Should the urge to liberate the Droid DNA overwhelm a sense of caution (or a wait for the Deluxe), you’ll find both the hack and unofficial help through the source links.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Verizon

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Source: Android Police

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BeatBots co-founder Marek Michalowski encourages the world to hack Keepon (video)

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Author: Jon Daniels

When we visited BeatBots’ San Francisco headquarters a couple of days back, the business’s co-founder Marek Michalowski was a bit hush-hush when it came to reviewing the future of Keepon, not stating much past mentioning upcoming updates for the move-busting little ‘bot. He was, nonetheless, even more than happy to chat about hacking the beat-monitoring toy, something the business had in mind when it initially created the consumer-friendly toy. “We felt it was very important to allow people to hack it and have the ability to do even more things with the toy than it can do from the box,” Michalowski informed us.

The business left the toy’s 12C bus open, so interested parties could conveniently manipulate My Keepon by method of microcontrollers like Arduino and its ilk. We’ve already seen some smart people get the robot to do their bidding, something that’s only likely to increase when Michalowski releases an overview for hacking My Keepon in the very near future. In the meantime, click with after the break to see the robotics PhD review Keepon hacks. A YouTube complete of choreographed “Thriller” Keepon video clips definitely cannot be that far off.

Continue reading BeatBots co-founder Marek Michalowski encourages the world to hack Keepon (video clip)

Filed under: RobotsBeatBots co-founder

Marek Michalowski motivates the globe to hack Keepon (video) initially appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EDT . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink|| Email this|Remarks

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Watch this: MIT’s adorably nerdy hack during 1982 Harvard-Yale game

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Author: Jenny Zhao

mit harvard yale hack

Saturday marked the 129th installation of Harvard-Yale, one of college football’s most storied rivalries. Understood merely as “The Game,” the Ivy League collection dates all the way back to 1875, and although its national significance has actually subsided with the surge of power seminars and the Bowl Championship Series, it never fails to motivate memorable nuisances and frat boy stunts. Yet few are as adventurous as just what a group of MIT pranksters pulled off 30 years ago, when a mysterious climate balloon all of a sudden arised from below the field at Harvard Stadium.

On November 20th, 1982, during the second quarter, a black weather condition balloon inexplicably started inflating along the sidelines, simply above the 45-yard line. As referees and coaches gathered in …

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Posts Tagged ‘hack’

Welcome To The Year Of The Hack

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Raspberry Pi Hack Turns The Ultra-Affordable Computer Into An AirPlay Receiver

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