Can TVs and refrigerators really spew botnet spam

siljaline · Jan 28, 2014

Network World - Refrigerators might hold spam to keep it cold in the meat bin. But in the Internet of Things world, can fridges connected to the Web blast malicious e-mail as part of a botnet? And how about TVs or other smart devices? In the stranger side of the Internet of Things, Proofpoint said it uncovered a cyberattack in which compromised refrigerators and TVs sent out malicious e-mail. But Symantec, says it saw no evidence of such an attack.
Click to expand...

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2014/012714-spam-appliances-278108.html

Dermot7 · Jan 28, 2014

Recently, Proofpoint security researchers published two blog entries (part one and part two) that they have been observing a series of spam campaigns originating in more than 25 % of cases by Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The compromised devices which were reported to send spam included “multi-media centers, televisions and at least one refrigerator”.

The first blog entry wasn’t sufficiently detailed and raised several doubts. The second entry clarifies several points, though not all, so here’s my intake on IoT.
Click to expand...

http://blog.fortinet.com/Security Research/Malware-or-Spam-Campaign-on-Internet-of-Things/

siljaline · Jan 28, 2014

Thanks for this Most informative.

siljaline · Jan 29, 2014

This tool demands access to YOUR ENTIRE DIGITAL LIFE. Is it from GCHQ? No - it's by IKEA

Order a flat-pack kitchen, surrender your HDD's contents
Click to expand...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/29/ikea_demands_access_all_areas_for_kitchen_tool/

siljaline · Feb 28, 2014

CIA chief says internet-connected appliances are ‘worrisome’ new threat

CIA Director John Brennan says that connected appliances and networked vehicles will make the agency’s job harder – with more systems to protect, and more platforms which could be used to launch attacks.

Network World reports that Brennan, speaking at President Barack Obama’s Associates Dinner at the University of Oklahoma said that cyber issues were becoming increasingly central to the CIA’s mission, and that Brennan said, “We also are concerned that new vulnerabilities will develop as cars, home appliances, and other physical objects become more integrated into information networks.”
Click to expand...

http://www.welivesecurity.com/2014/...onnected-appliances-are-worrisome-new-threat/

siljaline · Mar 4, 2014

Keurig’s next generation of coffee machines will have DRM lockdown

Keurig is setting itself up to attempt a type of coffee "DRM" on the pods used in its coffee-making machines, according to a report from from Techdirt. Keurig's next-gen machines would be unable to interact with third-party coffee pods, thus locking customers into buying only the Keurig-branded K-cups or those of approved partners.
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014...on-of-coffee-machines-will-have-drm-lockdown/

mattdocs12345 · Mar 5, 2014

siljaline said:

Keurig’s next generation of coffee machines will have DRM lockdown
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014...on-of-coffee-machines-will-have-drm-lockdown/
Click to expand...

Thank you. Now I know not to buy them.

siljaline · Mar 5, 2014

Happy to help.

mattdocs12345 said:

Thank you. Now I know not to buy them.
Click to expand...

siljaline · Mar 5, 2014

All you've ever wanted to know on Digital rights management but were afraid to ask.

siljaline · Mar 15, 2014

~ How to Keep the NSA From Spying Through Your Webcam ~

You already know that laptops, desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones are all at risk of being hacked. But did you know that intruders might use the built-in camera to take surreptitious pictures and videos of you and your surroundings or hijack your microphone to eavesdrop on conversations?

The latest story from the Edward Snowden leaks yesterday drives home that the NSA and its spy partners possess specialized tools for doing exactly that. According to The Intercept, the NSA uses a plug-in called GUMFISH to take over cameras on infected machines and snap photos.
Click to expand...

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2014/03/webcams-mics/

Kim Zetter (may) be followed on Twitter

mattdocs12345 · Mar 15, 2014

siljaline said:

~ How to Keep the NSA From Spying Through Your Webcam ~
Click to expand...

Started doing that last year. Probably a month or so after the NSA files came out. For myself I use a black isolation tape with weak glue that doens't leave any residue. I consider this one of those few computer defenses that are always 100% reliable.

siljaline · Mar 19, 2014

Did anyone mention Google wearables

siljaline · Mar 21, 2014

Researchers' Google Glass Spyware Sees What You See

If you fret over hackers or intelligence agencies reading your email, wait until they eavesdrop on your eyesight.

That’s the troubling–if still remote–possibility demonstrated by a pair of California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo graduate researchers who have built what may be the world’s first spyware proof-of-concept for Google’s Glass computer eyepieces. The stealthy software, designed by 22-year-old Mike Lady and 24-year-old Kim Paterson, takes a photo every ten seconds when Glass’s display is off, uploading the images to a remote server without giving the wearer any sign that his or her vision is being practically livestreamed to a stranger. To trick users into accepting permissions that allow the software to take photos and access the Internet, Lady’s and Paterson’s app masquerades as note-taking software; They call it Malnotes. [...]
Click to expand...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygre...chers-google-glass-spyware-sees-what-you-see/

siljaline · Mar 24, 2014

How do you DRM a thing like a coffee pod? | A brewing system lockdown may echo the tale of printers and ink cartridges.

Keurig's next generation of coffee machines will have a way to prevent any coffee not licensed by Keurig from brewing in the machine as early as this fall. Locking down a thing like coffee seems both trifling and difficult to accomplish—no one has yet described how Keurig can differentiate its own pods enough so that its machines would honor those pods and only those pods. [...]
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/03/how-do-you-drm-a-thing-like-a-coffee-pod/

siljaline · Mar 28, 2014

Philips Smart TVs wide open to Gmail cookie theft, other serious hacks

Internet-connected TVs manufactured by Philips running the latest firmware update are wide open to browser cookie theft and other serious attacks by hackers within radio range, a security researcher has warned.
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/security/201...en-to-gmail-cookie-theft-other-serious-hacks/

siljaline · Apr 1, 2014

Google tells Supreme Court it’s legal to packet sniff open Wi-Fi networks

Google wants the Supreme Court to reverse a decision concluding that the media giant could be held liable for hijacking data on unencrypted Wi-Fi routers via its Street View cars.

Google’s Street View vehicles, which are mapping the globe, were housing Wi-Fi sniffing hardware that was gathering data on the MAC addresses of routers in neighborhoods to better Google's location services. But Google was also pulling snippets of data from unprotected Wi-Fi networks, and it claimed it did not know it was sniffing packets.
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...ts-legal-to-packet-sniff-open-wi-fi-networks/

David Kravets newly onboard at ARS (may) be followed on Twitter

siljaline · Apr 2, 2014

DVR Infected with Bitcoin Mining Malware

Johannes Ullrich of the SANS Institute claims to have found malware infecting digital video recorders (DVR) predominately used to record footage captured by surveillance camera systems.

Oddly enough, Ullrich claims that one of the two binaries of malware implicated in this attack scheme appears to be a Bitcoin miner. The other, he says, looks like a HTTP agent that likely makes it easier to download further tools or malware. However, at the present time, the malware seems to only be scanning for other vulnerable devices.
Click to expand...

http://threatpost.com/dvr-infected-with-bitcoin-mining-malware/105167

siljaline · Apr 2, 2014

Win32/Sality newest component: a router’s primary DNS changer named Win32/RBrute

Win32/Sality is a family of malware that has been using a peer-to-peer botnet since at least 2003. It is a file infector and a trojan downloader, the latter of which is mainly used to send spam, although it has been used for different purposes such as faking advertising network traffic, distributed denial of service or VoIP account cracking. All commands and files exchanged through Sality’s P2P network are digitally signed, making it resilient to protocol manipulation. Its modular architecture as well as the longevity of the botnet shows good programming practice and an efficient software design. [...]
Click to expand...

http://www.welivesecurity.com/2014/...outers-primary-dns-changer-named-win32rbrute/

Dermot7 · Apr 2, 2014

“Internet of Things” is the new Windows XP—malware’s favorite target

siljaline · Apr 6, 2014

Documents point to “Android TV,” Google’s latest bid for the living room

On Saturday, The Verge posted a number of screenshots from a document that it says reveals Google's latest endeavor: Android TV. Yes, this would be Google's second attempt to make its way into the living room, the first being the Google TV platform that debuted in 2010 and died slowly over the next couple years.
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014...id-tv-googles-latest-bid-for-the-living-room/

siljaline · Feb 9, 2015

Is your car infested with spiders? Mazda has a software update for that

Mazda has a spider problem, and now it's issuing a voluntary recall to implement a "bug fix" in every sense of the word. A certain species, known as the yellow sac spider, is spinning webs in the vent lines of Mazda 6 sedans. The spider is attracted to gasoline and other hydrocarbons, and despite the Japanese carmaker's best efforts, the arachnids keep finding their way inside of the vent lines. It's not just a problem because it's creepy, however. The spider webs can cause restricted air flow, which could lead to a pressure buildup in the fuel tank. Pressure can cause cracks, and cracks can lead to fires, though no fires have yet been tied to the issue.
Click to expand...

http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/6/5587116/mazda-6-software-update-addresses-spider-problem

siljaline · Apr 19, 2014

Nespresso “open-sources” coffee pod business under government pressure

France's antitrust authority has persuaded Nespresso to change its anti-competitive practices in the coffee-pod market and open its espresso machine to third parties, reports the Wall Street Journal. The deal comes after Nespresso's long, losing battle to shut out competitors with patents and customer warnings. [...]
The battle mirrors a similar one happening in the US, where one of the dominant coffee pod brands, Keurig (owned by Green Mountain) revealed it will lock down its machines against unauthorized third-party pods starting in 2015 with a verification scheme that may look like one used for toner cartridges. Two of Keurig's competitors have sued the company.
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/business/201...offee-pod-business-under-government-pressure/

siljaline · Apr 23, 2014

How to turn a phone into a covert bugging device? Infect the printer

Security researchers have designed a stealthy eavesdropping attack that sounds like it's straight out of a James Bond movie. It starts with a booby-trapped document that compromises an unpatched laser printer, which in turn converts a popular Internet phone into a covert bugging device.
The proof-of-concept attack exploits currently unpatched vulnerabilities in the Avaya one-X 9608, a popular model of phone that uses the Internet rather than a standard phone line to make and receive calls. Researcher Ang Cui, a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University and chief scientist at Red Balloon Security, declined to provide many details on the vulnerabilities until users have had time to install a patch that Avaya is expected to release soon. He did say the weaknesses allow devices on the same local network to remotely execute code that causes the device to surreptitiously record all sounds within earshot and transmit them to a server controlled by attackers. He demonstrated a similar bugging vulnerability last year in competing Internet phones designed by Cisco Systems, which has since patched the underlying bugs.
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/security/201...o-a-covert-bugging-device-infect-the-printer/

twl845 · Apr 24, 2014

My Mother always kept the spam in the refrigerator.

moontan · Apr 25, 2014

i'll start worrying when the fridge starts looking at prOn.

Log in or Sign up

Can TVs and refrigerators really spew botnet spam

siljaline Registered Member

Dermot7 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

mattdocs12345 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

mattdocs12345 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

Dermot7 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

twl845 Registered Member

moontan Registered Member

Log in or Sign up

Can TVs and refrigerators really spew botnet spam

siljaline Registered Member

Dermot7 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

mattdocs12345 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

mattdocs12345 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

Dermot7 Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

siljaline Registered Member

twl845 Registered Member

moontan Registered Member

Useful Searches